The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) no longer practices internal democracy.

This was as he accused the party of abandoning its founding principles and fostering poor leadership.

El-rufai made this known at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria on Monday, where he stated that the opposition in Nigeria is a “national emergency.”

He said, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”

Speaking further, he criticised the kind of leadership political parties are fielding, describing them as unqualified.

“You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today,” he said.

The former governor lamented that the APC has abandoned its foundational goals of combating corruption, rebuilding the economy, and enhancing security.

“The problems that led to the creation of the APC remain unresolved, but I no longer believe the APC is interested in addressing them. The distance between me and the party is widening,” he revealed.

He urged opposition parties to form a coalition to wrestle power from the ruling party.

“There are internal mercenaries in the PDP, hired and motivated to destroy the party. The Labour Party is also facing similar issues. Peter Obi himself told me, ‘I don’t know what’s happening in the party I contested with.’

“There seems to be a deliberate project to destroy opposition parties,” he alleged.

The event was also graced by former vice president Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi.