The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has stated that he is unsure whether former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is a member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Wednesday, Morka addressed El-Rufai’s absence from the APC NEC meeting held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
According to reports, the gathering was attended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, and other key party figures. It was the first NEC meeting since Tinubu assumed office.
El-Rufai and former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, were notably absent, fueling speculation about internal rifts within the party, especially given their recent criticism of the APC leadership.
When asked about El-Rufai’s absence, Morka suggested that the former governor, like other party leaders, received an invitation but opted not to attend.
“There was a roll call of prominent members at this meeting. The same way El-Rufai received a notice, other members did as well—and they attended.
Many of them don’t reside in Abuja, yet they made arrangements to be present. If El-Rufai truly wanted to attend, he would have been there,” Morka said.
He also expressed doubt about El-Rufai’s current membership in the NEC.
“By the way, I don’t want to say this definitively because I haven’t verified it, but I’m not sure he is a NEC member. He is certainly part of the caucus, but I doubt he belongs to the NEC,” Morka added.
El-Rufai has been at odds with the APC leadership, particularly President Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The former governor recently claimed that Tinubu personally blocked his ministerial nomination, rejecting reports that a negative security assessment was the reason for his exclusion.
Additionally, he accused Ribadu of undermining him, alleging that the NSA is positioning himself for a 2031 presidential bid and sees him as a political threat.
El-Rufai has also criticized the APC’s internal democracy, accusing the ruling party of deviating from its founding principles.
