Nasir el-Rufai, a former Governor of Kaduna State has announced his departure from the All Progressives Congress for the Social Democratic Party.
El-Rufai, who was a founding member of the APC and a big player in Nigerian politics, now says the growing gap between his values and the party’s direction is his reason for the move.
He made the defection known via his X handle on Sunday.
In his statement, he was highly disappointed with the APC leadership. He accused the party of abandoning the progressive values of its founders.
El-Rufai recalled working with colleagues to merge parties and create the APC.
He said since 2013 he had hoped his values would continue to align with the APC until he retired from politics.
He said recent events of the past two years showed that those in charge of the party are unwilling to acknowledge or address the party’s internal issues.
He had raised his concerns privately and publicly about the party’s direction.
At this stage of his political journey, he said he must find a new platform to advance the progressive values he holds dear.
He said founders are naturally attached to the institutions they created. But he said one must be pragmatic enough to know when an irreconcilable gap occurs.
He listed his achievements with the APC in 2015, 2019 and 2023.
He was one of the governors elected on the party’s platform in 2015 and 2019, on the principles of democracy and progress to build the nation.
El-Rufai confirmed he had resigned from the ruling party. He said he had consulted his mentors, colleagues and loyalists and had chosen the SDP for the 2027 general election.
Without prejudice to his decision, he said as a member of the SDP he would work to reach out and persuade other opposition leaders to join a united democratic platform.
He said this collective effort would be to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections until 2027, by the Grace of God.
He also urged his supporters and Nigerians to join him in the SDP to restore Nigeria as a pride of Africa and the black race.Before, El-Rufai had joined other party leaders to criticise the APC National Executive Council and Board of Trustees.
They berated the failure to hold regular meetings and the recent stakeholders’ meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja which he said did not follow the 14 to 21 days’ notice requirement.
On Sunday, he met with ex-Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola and Pastor Tunde Bakare in Lagos.
Pictures of him with them went viral on social media.
The details of their discussion were not disclosed but observers believe these meetings were part of his political permutations for 2027.