Former Kaduna State Governor and founding member of the All Progressives Congress, Nasir El-Rufai, has dumped the ruling party for the Social Democratic Party.
The prominent politician cited a growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his decision.
El-Rufai disclosed this in a press statement released on his X handle on Monday, where he expressed his disappointment with the APC’s leadership, accusing the party of straying from the progressive ideals of its founding members.
“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 that of the APC will continue to align up to the time I choose to retire from politics,” El-Rufai remarked.
He accused the APC leadership of disregarding internal concerns and undermining the party’s 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,” he stated.
El-Rufai, who was instrumental in the APC’s victories in 2015, 2019, and 2023, explained that he could no longer stay in a party that had “castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt.”
As a member of the SDP, El-Rufai emphasized his commitment to uniting opposition parties to challenge the APC in future elections, including the 2027 general election.
“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 concluded.
