Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru El-Rufai, has left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
In a statement he shared on Monday in Abuja, titled “Onwards to the Future,” the former Kaduna State governor noted, “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 would align up to the time I chose to retire from politics.”
However, he said developments in the last two years confirm that those who currently control and run the APC have no desire to acknowledge, let alone address, the unhealthy state 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 to institutions they helped create, but one must be pragmatic enough to admit when a divergence becomes unbridgeable.
“I have diligently served the APC and contributed to its viability as a political platform but recognize that the party has strayed, leaving 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 who stood for 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, expand infrastructure, promote equality of opportunity, create jobs, and attract investments.
“However, these records count for little in the current APC, which has castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt over the last two years. I find this no longer acceptable.”*
He added, *”On March 10, 2025, I submitted a letter resigning my membership of the APC to my ward in Kaduna, effective immediately.
“Subsequent to this, I concluded consultations with my mentors, colleagues, and loyalists 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.
“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 in forming a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and by-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.”
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