Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has called on President Muhamadu Buhari to deal decisively with overambitious members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking in Ikoyi, Lagos on Saturday during an interactive session with members of The Bridge Club, El-Rufai blamed the internal crisis in the APC in the build-up to the 2019 general elections on the desperation of some members of the party who are positioning themselves ahead of the 2023 election.

While regretting that the ruling party lost some states to the opposition due to the inordinate ambitions of some of its members, the Governor argued that it was wrong for them to be scheming ahead of 2023 when Buhari’s second term had not even commenced.

His words: “There were a lot of internal crises in the APC. Those crises had nothing to do with the 2019 elections. They were all about positioning for 2023. You know politicians can be very strategic.

“As illiterate as some of them can be, they are very strategic. They can think far ahead of you. So, those 2023 aspirations had been busy at work, creating pockets of support that had unintended consequences.

“I can mention a few states that we lost because of these kinds of aspirations. Some of the things led to unintended consequences and we paid for it.

“It is my view that President Muhammadu Buhari must be firm and decisive in dealing with these overambitious elements that will make his second term difficult from day one unless curtailed. The President has to be very decisive in dealing with such people.”