…Seeks coalition against Tinubu in 2027
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
After months of behind-the-scene consultation and political realignments ahead of the 2027 polls, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has finally dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
El-Rufai who was among the founding members of the APC defected to the Social Democratic Party after leaving his former party.
This is as he seeks coalition with other opposition members for a united front against the APC in 2027.
The former Governor in a statement on his X handle, cited a growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the reason for his action.
He expressed his disappointment with the APC’s leadership, accusing the party of straying from the progressive ideals of its founding members.
He wrote: “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.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that those who currently control and run the APC do not desire to acknowledge, much less address, the party’s unhealthy situation. I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the party’s capricious trajectory. Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform to pursue 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,” he stated.
El-Rufai said he had submitted the resignation letter from the ruling party, adding that his consultations with his mentors, colleagues, and loyalists made him settle for SDP in preparation for the 2027 general election.
“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,” he said.
He enjoined his supporters and other Nigerians to join his new party in an attempt to bring back Nigeria as a beacon of pride for Africans and the black race.
