Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing frustrations with the current leadership of his former party.
In a statement released on March 10, 2025, El-Rufai declared, “Today, the 10th of March 2025, I have submitted a letter resigning my membership of the APC to my ward in Kaduna, effective immediately.”
He explained that after extensive consultations with mentors, colleagues, and loyalists, he chose the SDP as the platform for his future political activities. “I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish,” El-Rufai stated.
The former governor expressed his dissatisfaction with the direction of the APC, stating, “There is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation in the party.”
Reflecting on his years of service, El-Rufai recalled, “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.”
El-Rufai added that his tenure in Kaduna State focused on “progressive policies to advance human development in education and healthcare, as well as expand infrastructure, promote equality of opportunity, create jobs, and attract investments.”
Now with the SDP, El-Rufai called on Nigerians to join the party in efforts to challenge the APC in future elections.
“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.”