The Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has downplayed the defection of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), insisting that the move does not concern the party.
El-Rufai, in a statement on his official Facebook page on Monday, announced his resignation from the APC, effective immediately, after submitting his letter to his ward in Kaduna.
He accused the party’s current leadership of abandoning its founding principles and undermining internal democratic processes.
The former governor cited an increasing misalignment between his personal values and the APC’s direction as his reason for leaving.
Expressing disappointment, El-Rufai lamented that the APC had strayed from the progressive ideals championed by its founding members.
According to him, “The 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,” El-Rufai said.
He added that he had privately and publicly raised concerns about what he described as the party’s “capricious trajectory” but noted that his values and those of the APC were no longer aligned.
“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. Since 2013, I have hoped that my personal values and those of the APC will continue to align until I choose to retire from politics,” he said.
However, reacting, Alhaji Yahaya Baba-Pate, Secretary of the Kaduna APC, said the party remained unperturbed by the defection of the former governor, saying the party is focused on delivering the state to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani in 2027.
“We are unperturbed by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection to another party. Our main focus in Kaduna is on how to deliver the state to both President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani in 2027,” he stated.
Baba-Pate further expressed confidence in the party’s increasing influence in the state, highlighting the influx of high-profile politicians into APC as a sign of its growing strength.
“The APC in Kaduna State is growing daily, judging from the calibre of politicians joining the party. We are not disturbed by anyone leaving, as our governor’s inclusive governance continues to attract more supporters.”
“We are not losing sleep over El-Rufai’s defection. The party in the state is stronger than ever before,” he concluded.
Similarly, former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu San reacting to El-Rufai’s defection said it’s a divine retribution and justice.
“He callously evicted us from our homes and sent us to the forest,and our Lord has evicted him from his home and sent him to the Wilderness.Our Lord’s 5G Judgment,” he posted on his Facebook page.
