Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing irreconcilable differences with the current leadership of the ruling party.
In a statement released today in Abuja, El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, expressed disappointment with the party’s current trajectory, stating that it has “strayed” from the vision of its founders.
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“I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the capricious trajectory of the party,” El-Rufai said in his resignation letter. “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.”
The former governor, who served two terms in Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, was instrumental in the formation of the APC in 2013 and helped secure the party’s election victories in 2015, 2019, and 2023. However, he noted that developments over the past two years confirmed 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 highlighted his accomplishments during his tenure as governor, including implementing progressive policies in education, healthcare, and infrastructure development. However, he lamented that “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.”
Following his resignation from the APC, El-Rufai announced his decision to join the Social Democratic Party, which he described as the platform for his future political engagements. He also revealed plans to engage with other opposition leaders and parties to create a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in upcoming elections.
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“I 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,” he stated.
