By Wale Sadeeq
Former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, recently, took a major step in his political journey.
He announced his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his subsequent defection to Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai, who was governor of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023, in a post on his verified Facebook page, said he had submitted his resignation letter from APC to his ward in Kaduna and had concluded consultations with his mentors, colleagues and loyalists before making the decision.
Going down the memory lane, the former governor chronicled his roles in the formation of APC, the party he is ditching.
He said that as a founding member, he worked with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties which eventually birthed APC.
As part of the reasons for leaving APC, he accused the party’s leadership of ignoring internal concerns and stifling its democratic structures.
“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, who claimed to have played a key role in the APC’s victories in 2015, 2019 and 2023, said he could no longer remain in a party that had “castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt.”
He pledged to work assiduously to unite opposition parties to challenge APC in future elections, including the 2027 general elections.
“Without prejudice to this decision, as a member of the SDP, 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,” he said.
The former governor, therefore, called on all his supporters and others concerned about Nigeria’s future to join him in SDP in the journey towards making the country flourish as a beacon of pride for Africans and the Black Race.
Many keen watchers of political activities are, however, not surprised with El-Rufai’s move, as events shortly after the swearing-in of Bola Tinubu as President, following his victory at the 2023 presidential elections, indicated that he might likely quit APC.
In August 2023, the Senate had withheld his confirmation as a ministerial nominee, citing security reports from the Department of State Service (DSS) for the action.
This apparently infuriated the former governor who had since been in a running battle Tinubu, criticising his economic policies, coupled with his uncertain stance on supporting Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Lately, the former governor has also been seen either appearing in public functions with some known opposition figures or meeting them, signaling that he might have some up his sleeve.
For instance, on March 9, el-Rufai visited Rauf Aregbesola, a former Osun governor and former Minister of Interior in Lagos; he also visited Pastor Tunde Bakare, a former APC presidential aspirant.
On same March 9, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice-President and presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, after the breaking of the Ramadan fast, also received the former Kaduna governor in Abuja.
The political pilgrimage equally took el-Rufai to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna residence.
Expectedly, SDP had since el-Rufai’s defection been in a joyous mood for apparently catching a big fish.
Indeed, the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Adewole Adebayo, said that the former governor’s movement to SDP as a welcome development.
He described el-Rufai as a hardworking and sagacious person.
“On behalf of the teeming members of SDP and patriotic democrats who believe in Nigeria and her promise of inevitable greatness, I heartily welcome my dear brother, el-Rufai to our party.
“With the hardworking and sagacious Malam joining our ranks, an avid worker for the people has been enlisted in our forces against poverty and insecurity.
“Now is the time for us to put our collective shoulders behind the efforts to fulfill chapter 2 of the constitution and rescue Nigerians from bad governance and underdevelopment,” he said.
According to him, all genuine democrats and true nationalists who believe in order, decency and honesty are welcome to SDP.
Nonetheless, the Presidency and the ruling APC, in their separate reactions to the development, dismissed el-Rufai’s defection and his attempt to rally opposition against Tinubu, calling it an unrealistic ambition.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, who reacted on behalf of the presidency, argued that while the former governor had the constitutional right to switch parties, his motives were questionable.
While downplaying el-Rufai’s political influence, Bwala said that his move to unseat the ruling government was not driven by ideology but by personal ambition.
Also, the APC leadership in Kaduna, el-Rufai’s home state, said that his defection was insignificant.
The state party secretary, Yahaya Baba-Pate, said that APC remained focused on securing the state for Tinubu and Gov. Uba Sani in the upcoming elections.
“We are not concerned about el-Rufai’s defection; our priority is ensuring Kaduna remains under APC leadership in 2027.
“The party is growing stronger, attracting more prominent politicians, and will not be affected by one individual’s departure.
‘’We are not losing sleep over this; Kaduna APC is more formidable than ever,’’ Baba-Pate said.
On his own, a former Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani, described the former governor’s exit as good news for the party.
“For those of us from Kaduna State, it is good riddance, because he stands as a liability to the party in the state.’’
He added that APC’s popularity under el-Rufai’s leadership sharply declined in the state, as reflected in recent election results.
“By 2023, all the senatorial zones were taken over by the PDP and out of the 14 house of representative seats in Kaduna State under el-Rufai, by the time he left, nine of the seats were won by PDP, two by Labour Party and three by APC.’’
Sani, an activist-turned-politician, pointed out that the APC’s poor electoral performance under the former governor even affected its chances in the presidential election.
“With him as governor, APC lost the presidential election in Kaduna State, with Tinubu polling about 399,273 votes and Atiku polling about 554,360 votes,” he said.
He said el-Rufai had significantly weakened the party’s grassroots appeal.
According to him, el-Rufai’s departure now provides APC in Kaduna the much-needed opportunity to reconnect with the electorate and regain political strength.
To el-Rufai’s political ally, Dr Salihu Lukman, his defection to SDP was too hasty.
Lukman, a former APC National Vice-Chairman (North West) and former National Working Committee (NWC) member of the party, expressed concern that the former governor’s defection could disrupt the ongoing negotiations for a broader political coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said though el-Rufai’s defection had been anticipated, he should have exercised more patience to allow the coalition talks to be finalised.
“It was expected; even after the interview he granted on a national television, you can see the handwriting on the wall; but whether it is going to come so soon is what even I could not have said.
“My expectation was that he should have been a bit patient for us to work as a group based on the current negotiation that is ongoing,” Lukman said.
While acknowledging el-Rufai’s right to political association, the former APC chieftain warned that the timing of his defection might have unintended consequences for opposition realignments.
Meanwhile, the former governor has not revealed the political office he will be vying for in 2027, other than vowing to join forces with other like minds to dislodge the APC government in 2027.
Political watchers seem to be of the opinion that el-Rufai may not go far in his new political journey.
They base their stance on the less popular political party which he has pitched his tent with.
A Federal Character Commissioner representing Oyo State, Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela, likened el-Rufai’s defection to SDP to committing political suicide.
Olowofela, also a former Commissioner for Education in Oyo State, warned that abandoning APC at the moment could be detrimental to El-Rufai’s political future.
“For El-Rufai to abandon APC is a political suicide because Tinubu will win his second term with an array of seen and unseen political foot soldiers,” he said.
All in all, political pundits argue that SDP, as a political party, has lost relevance since the era of Chief MKO Abiola and that any attempt to revive it may be a futile venture.
They say only time will tell how far el-Rufai will go with his new political move. (NANFeature)
