By Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. As 2027 approaches, politicians like former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, one of the founding members of the ruling APC, have decided their fate before the next election.
The politician, who was at the forefront of making Tinubu the President of Nigeria ahead of 2023, is described by many as a wounded lion.
Initially, Tinubu had submitted El-Rufai’s name to the National Assembly for a ministerial position, but his name was subsequently withdrawn.
El-Rufai’s Defection to SDP: A Signal of a New Political Era
Perhaps the most significant recent political event in Nigeria, apart from President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, is El-Rufai’s shift in political allegiance from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The former Kaduna State governor announced his exit from the APC to the SDP in a statement dated March 10, 2025.
“At this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish,” El-Rufai stated.
Why I Left APC for SDP – El-Rufai
It is a well-known fact that El-Rufai played a key role in the formation of the APC in 2013 and worked to secure its electoral victories in 2015, 2019, and even in 2023.
Announcing his resignation from the APC, El-Rufai accused the party leadership of failing to address internal challenges.
“As a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have fond memories of working with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties that created the APC. It had been my hope since 2013 that my personal values and those of the APC would align up until the time I chose to retire from politics. 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 and address the unhealthy situation of the party. On my part, I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the capricious trajectory of the party,” he said.
“Founders rightly feel attached to the institutions they helped create, but one must be pragmatic enough to admit when a divergence becomes unbridgeable. I have diligently served the APC and made my contributions to its viability as a political platform but recognize that the party has since strayed, leaving me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers. Today, March 10, 2025, I have submitted a letter resigning my membership of the APC to my ward in Kaduna, effective immediately,” El-Rufai added.
“Following this, I have concluded consultations with my mentors, colleagues, and loyalists about the future and have decided to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and adopt it as the platform for our future political engagement and activities,” he added.
The former Kaduna State governor also vowed to engage other opposition leaders to form a united front against the APC in the upcoming elections, urging his supporters to join him in the SDP.
El-Rufai Lacks Political Relevance – Shehu Sani
Senator Shehu Sani is a human rights activist turned politician. He represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District from 2015 to 2019.
Shehu Sani and El-Rufai are considered arch-political rivals in Kaduna State.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s defection, Shehu Sani said:
“Nasiru El-Rufai’s departure from APC to SDP will not make any difference for someone with no political relevance anymore. One thing is certain: President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani will be re-elected in 2027. El-Rufai, out of alleged fears of the unknown, has officially dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP),” Shehu Sani stated.
Senator Shehu Sani also claimed that his return, along with other prominent politicians in the state, such as Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Senator Danjum Laah, and former Governor Ramalan Yero, to APC unsettled El-Rufai.
Don’t Fight Tinubu Out of Anger or Revenge – Lamido Tells El-Rufai
Sule Lamido, former Jigawa State Governor and one of the founding members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), says that El-Rufai’s call to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 should not be based on personal grievances but on national interest.
El-Rufai moved to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC) on March 10, citing a divergence in values with the ruling party.
He subsequently appealed to opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, ex-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), to join the SDP.
Reacting in an interview with BBC Hausa, Lamido said leadership should prioritize the nation’s welfare over personal emotions.
“Leadership is about patience, foresight, and working for the peace of the people and the nation. If you allow emotions to control your decisions, you will never lead objectively. If El-Rufai’s goal is to unseat President Bola Tinubu, it should not be based on personal grievances but on national interest. We should not fight Tinubu just because we are angry at him or seeking revenge. Leadership should be about prioritizing the country’s well-being rather than personal emotions.”
Lamido also noted that El-Rufai once dismissed the role of political elders in northern Nigeria.
Sule Lamido added that the former Kaduna governor also ignored the role of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in his political career.
“The party we formed, PDP, is the one that gave birth to El-Rufai. You’re not enough to make us leave the PDP. He once said that there are no elders in northern Nigerian politics, but now he is calling on us to join him in the SDP. El-Rufai said he told former President Buhari about his decision to leave the APC, but now he is claiming to be one of the elders in Nigerian politics,” Lamido stated.
The former Jigawa State governor added that if he had any intention of leaving the PDP, he would have done so when APC was formed.
“If I was going to leave PDP, I would have done so in 2014 when the APC was formed.”
With the current political landscape ahead of 2027, the question remains: Will El-Rufai succeed in mobilizing other prominent politicians to form a new merger that could create an opposition similar to the APC in 2013?
Many political analysts believe that El-Rufai is merely seeking a political platform to contest for the presidency in 2027.
Thus, other prominent candidates like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are unlikely to form an alliance with him.
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