By Jane Okafor, Abuja
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing conflict between his personal values and the current direction of the party as the primary reason for his decision.
El-Rufai announced his defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in a post on his verified Facebook page on Monday titled: “NIGERIA UPDATE: Onwards to the future.”
El-Rufai further expressed disappointment with the APC’s leadership, accusing the party of drifting away from the progressive ideals of its founding members.
According to him, he had raised concerns over the party’s trajectory privately and publicly in the last years but did not any willingness among the current leadership to address the issues.
El-Rufai’s resignation from the APC, effective immediately, was submitted to his ward in Kaduna State.
He also announced his decision to join the SDP, describing it as the platform for his future political engagements, urging his supporters and other concerned Nigerians to join him in the SDP.
He harped on the need for a unified democratic platform to challenge and upstage the APC.
El-Rufai said: “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.”
