Balogun Tumininu
Former Kaduna State Governor and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has officially resigned from the ruling party and defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The announcement, made public on Monday, marks a dramatic shift in Nigeria’s political landscape as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
El-Rufai, a prominent figure in Nigerian politics and a key architect of the APC’s formation in 2013, expressed deep disappointment with the current state of the party. In a statement released on March 10, 2025, he lamented the APC’s departure from its founding principles, accusing its leadership of disregarding internal democracy and treating members with contempt.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” El-Rufai stated. He revealed that he had raised concerns both privately and publicly about the party’s direction but found no willingness to address the issues.
El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna State Governor from 2015 to 2023, highlighted his contributions to the APC’s electoral successes in 2015, 2019, and 2023, as well as his efforts to implement progressive policies in Kaduna. However, he noted that these achievements now “count for little in the current APC,” which he described as having “strayed and left me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers.”
The former governor announced that he had submitted his resignation letter to his ward in Kaduna and would now join the SDP, a party he described as a viable platform for pursuing his progressive values. He also called on other opposition leaders and parties to unite under a single democratic platform to challenge the APC in upcoming elections.
“I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections between now and 2027 by the Grace of God,” El-Rufai declared. He urged his supporters and concerned Nigerians to join the SDP in what he termed a “journey towards making Nigeria flourish as a beacon of pride for Africans and the Black Race.”