Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai resigns from the APC, citing the party’s decline. He joins the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to champion progressive politics and unify the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a shocking political move, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The development, announced on March 10, 2025, marks a major shake-up in Nigeria’s political space as the country prepares for the 2027 elections.
This move was announced few hours after El-rufai was seen with former vice president, Atiku abubakar in a Sunday Ramadan Ifta.
El-Rufai, a key founding member of the APC, was instrumental in the party’s formation in 2013 and played a crucial role in its election victories in 2015, 2019, and 2023. However, citing a sharp departure from the party’s founding values, he has now chosen to part ways with the ruling party.
In his resignation letter, El-Rufai expressed deep disappointment with the APC’s leadership, accusing them of failing to address critical internal challenges. He stated that the party had “castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt” over the past two years, making it impossible for him to remain.
For the former governor, remaining in the party was no longer an option.
He explained that despite privately and publicly raising concerns about the direction of the APC, there was no willingness from those in control to correct course. This, he said, forced him to take the difficult but necessary step of leaving the party he helped build.
El-Rufai Resigns: Read the full statement by Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on his Resignation:
“Nigeria Update: Onwards to the Future
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.
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.
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 I recognize that the party has since strayed and left me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers.
As a loyal party man, I worked to help secure the APC’s election victories in 2015, 2019, and 2023. I was one of the many governors elected on the party’s platform in 2015 and 2019 that stood for certain democratic and progressive principles to advance nation-building. My eight-year tenure in Kaduna State was devoted to implementing progressive policies to advance human development in education and healthcare, as well as expand infrastructure, promote equality of opportunity, create jobs, and attract investments. These records count for little in the current APC that has castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt in the last two years. I find this no longer acceptable.
Today, 10th March 2025, I have submitted a letter resigning my membership of the APC to my ward in Kaduna, effective immediately. Prior to this step, I had concluded consultations with my mentors, colleagues, and loyalists across the country about the future. I have now decided to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and adopt it as the platform for our future political engagements and activities.
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. I therefore call on all our supporters and other persons concerned about our country’s future to join us in the SDP in the journey towards making Nigeria flourish as a beacon of pride for Africans and the Black Race.
Thank you and God Bless the Social Democratic Party.
God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, CON
Abuja, Nigeria
10th March 2025″
The former governor revealed that his decision came after extensive consultations with his mentors, colleagues, and political loyalists across Nigeria.
As El-Rufai resigns and defects to the SDP signals his intent to be at the forefront of opposition politics in Nigeria. He emphasized that his move was not just about joining another party but about creating a strong alternative to challenge the APC in upcoming elections. He is now calling on other opposition leaders to unite under the SDP to provide a credible alternative to Nigerians.
He emphasized that his move to the SDP is not just about joining another party but about providing a strong alternative to the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
Comments 1