There are indications that more high-profile politicians have concluded plans to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The National Chairman of the SDP, Shehu Musa Gabam, gave this hint yesterday in a chat with Trust TV while reacting to El-Rufai’s defection.
Gabam stated that El-Rufai’s move had triggered a wave of defections from Kaduna State, with more prominent figures from the ruling APC and other parties, as well as across backgrounds expected to follow suit.
While declining to reveal specific names, sources within the party suggest that former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola might also defect to the SDP.
El-Rufai had visited Aregbesola and a prominent cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare, in Lagos on Sunday. He had also met with former President Muhammadu Buhari and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar in recent days. These meetings have fuelled speculations that El-Rufai’s defection marks the beginning of broader political realignments.
However, Fayemi, in a statement yesterday, dismissed reports of his planned defection.
“My attention has been drawn to a story circulating on several online platforms regarding my defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC). As I have had cause to state in the past, I am a card-carrying foundation member of the APC, and this position has not changed,” he said.
He added, “While I have been at the vanguard of the demand for greater internal democracy and inclusion in the ruling party, I believe it is still not late for our party to change course and move towards greater inclusion and internal democracy.”
Meanwhile, Gabam reiterated that the ongoing defections to the SDP are part of a broader political shift aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and ensuring governance benefits reach the people.
Political observers have linked El-Rufai’s move to presidential ambitions, but Gabam insisted the SDP’s structure prioritises grassroots participation.
“The party’s philosophy is entrenched in grassroots democratic participation and aligns with the politics of endorsement. Every potential aspirant must go through the process from the grassroots level to prevent imposition,” he said.
He also dismissed suggestions of a merger with other parties, stating, “The SDP is not in alignment with the proponents of a merger of political parties. It is a recipe for chaos.”
Why I left APC for SDP – El-Rufai
Announcing his resignation from the APC in a statement on Monday titled “Onwards to the Future”, 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 will align up to the time I choose 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, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” he said.
He continued: “On my part, I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the capricious trajectory of the party. Therefore, 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.
“Founders rightly feel attached towards institutions they helped create, but one must be pragmatic enough to admit when a divergence appears unbridgeable.
“I have diligently served the APC and made my contributions to its viability as a political platform but recognise that the party has since strayed and left me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers.”
El-Rufai further stated: “Today, the 10th of March 2025, I have submitted a letter resigning my membership of the APC to my ward in Kaduna, effective immediately.
“Subsequent to this, I had concluded consultations with my mentors, colleagues, and loyalists alike about the future, and have decided to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and adopt it as the platform for our future political engagements and activities.”
He vowed to engage other opposition leaders to form a united front against the APC in upcoming elections, urging his supporters to join him in the SDP.
Ex-commissioners quit APC amid defection wave
Shortly after El-Rufai’s announcement, two of his former commissioners in Kaduna State—Hafsat Mohammed Baba, ex-commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, and Jafaru Sani, former commissioner for Education and Local Government Affairs—resigned from the APC.
Their resignation letters cited various reasons for leaving the party, but they have yet to indicate their next political move. However, sources speculate they will likely join El-Rufai in the SDP.
The APC was yet to react to El-Rufai’s defection and the reasons he cited as of the time of filing this report. Efforts to get a response from the party’s spokesman, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful.
El-Rufai has no political relevance – Shehu Sani
However, Shehu Sani, in a reaction to the defection, said “leaving APC for SDP wouldn’t make any difference for someone with no political relevance again.”
He, however, said “one thing is sure, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu And Governor Uba Sani will be voted again” in 2027.
“Elrufai out of alleged fears of the unknown, officially dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party(SDP),” Sani said.
He also claimed that his return and those of other prominent politicians in the State such as Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi; Senator Danjuma Laah, Former Governor Ramalan Yero, and others to APC unsettled Elrufai.
Meanwhile, Prince Adewole Adebayo, the SDP’s presidential candidate in the last election, welcomed El-Rufai’s defection.
“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 fulfil Chapter 2 of the Constitution and rescue Nigerians from bad governance and underdevelopment to restore #HopeAgain 2027 to the suffering masses,” he said.
Similarly, SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Ambassador Rufus Aiyenigba, said El-Rufai’s defection signals an influx of more high-profile politicians into the party.
