ADC Disowns El-Rufai’s “SDP Merger” Claim — 24 Hours After Announcement
By Dr. G. Fraser. MFR The National Patriots.
Lagos, August 25, 2025 —
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has distanced itself from a claim by former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) structure in Kaduna had “collapsed” into the ADC. In separate rebuttals today, ADC officials and the Kaduna SDP said no such merger or absorption occurred, describing the assertion as false and unauthorized.
What the parties are saying
ADC (Kaduna chapter): In a statement circulated this afternoon, ADC figures said no meeting was convened to absorb SDP members and no collapse of structures took place, urging the public to disregard the report.
Kaduna SDP: The state chapter, led by Chairman Adamu Idris, called El-Rufai’s claim “spurious” and maintained the party remains intact across all 23 LGAs with no decision to dissolve or join ADC.
The denials came less than a day after multiple outlets reported El-Rufai hailing a supposed SDP–ADC alignment in Kaduna following a weekend political meeting.
Why it matters
Kaduna is a bellwether for northern realignments ahead of 2027. Firm clarifications from both ADC and SDP blunt the narrative of a growing anti-establishment coalition centered on El-Rufai and raise questions about message discipline within opposition ranks. Today’s pushback also highlights the fragility of “structure-collapse” announcements that are not backed by formal party organs.
The backdrop: El-Rufai, SDP, and coalition cross-currents
- July 28, 2025: The SDP expelled/sanctioned El-Rufai, citing misrepresentation and internal disruption — a rupture that foreshadowed today’s clash over who speaks for whom.
- Aug 16, 2025: Kaduna ADC publicly stated it had no coalition with El-Rufai’s SDP ahead of local contests — an early marker of skepticism.
- Aug 21, 2025: El-Rufai himself warned ADC-linked groups against attributing statements to him, underscoring the scrambling communications environment around the nascent coalition.
The numbers: context on ADC/SDP strength
- Presidential vote shares: In 2019 the ADC presidential ticket (Obadiah Mailafia) polled 97,874 votes nationwide (INEC official tally). 2023 saw a hyper-competitive three-horse race dominated by APC, PDP, and LP; turnout fell to 26.71%, limiting oxygen for smaller parties.
- House seats: In the current (2023–2027) House of Representatives, ADC and SDP hold two seats each, compared with APC (162) and PDP (102). That scale explains why merger optics carry outsized media impact even when the formal mechanics aren’t there.
What today changes
1. Credibility costs: Public reversals within 24 hours erode trust in coalition announcements and hand rivals ammunition about “phantom mergers.”
2. Gatekeeping reasserted: Both ADC and SDP are signaling that **state and national executives—not ad-hoc coalitions—**will validate any structural arrangements.
3. Kaduna calculus: With Kaduna SDP insisting it’s fully organized in all LGAs, the practical effect is to freeze any immediate ADC gains on ground game and polling-unit agents.
What to expect next.
- Formal communiqués: Expect both parties to issue written directives to ward and LGA leaders clarifying membership status and cooperation rules before upcoming by-elections.
- Legal or disciplinary steps: Given SDP’s prior disciplinary actions against El-Rufai, further sanctions or litigation over misrepresentation cannot be ruled out.
- Coalition housekeeping: If opposition blocs want durable alignments ahead of 2027, they’ll need signed merger frameworks, harmonized registers, and INEC-notified leadership lists to avoid whiplash narratives.
Timeline (last 48 hours)
- Aug 24–25: Reports claim Kaduna SDP “collapses” into ADC amid El-Rufai-chaired meeting.
- Aug 25 (morning–afternoon): Kaduna SDP and ADC issue denials/clarifications; no merger, no absorption of structures.
Conclusion:
Today’s coordinated rebuttals from both ADC and SDP suggest the touted “collapse” was political theatre, not institutional reality. For voters and operatives, the lesson is clear: in Nigeria’s coalition politics, press statements aren’t mergers—INEC-recognized, party-executive-driven processes are. Until those appear, Kaduna’s partisan map remains unchanged.
*Reporting by Headlinenews.news politics desk.*
