Former governor of Kaduna State and a key member of the opposition coalition, on Saturday, asserted that people he called "urban bandits" are now in charge of affairs in Nigeria.
The former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and now a member of the Social Democratic Party said the country was facing biggest challenge since post 1914 amalgamation.
El-Rufai stated this on Saturday in Abuja while delivering a goodwill message at a public lecture with the theme: “Weaponisation of poverty as a means of underdevelopment: A case study of Nigeria.”
He said the bandits at the helm of affairs were not "the ones in the bushes, but the ones in the urban area, called the urban bandits, to take over leadership."
He said, “Nigeria is in its biggest trouble since 1914, and that is why we are together working and conspiring to build a coalition to take Nigeria back on track because it is off track.
“It has turned to this level because we have allowed bandits, not the ones in the bushes, but the ones in the urban area, called the urban bandits, to take over leadership.
“I believe that the problem that we have is that we just get incompetent people, and we hand over leadership to them. Most of them don’t really know what to do. They just know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it.”
He advocated that Nigerians must stand up and vote for leaders who have the competence, capability, capacity and commitment to move the country forward.
The occasion was organized to commemorate the 60th birthday celebration of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The former Rivers governor is also a member of the coalition strategizing to defeat Tinubu in 2027.