SDP Kaduna disowns El-Rufai, says He is not a member

The Kaduna State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has distanced itself from former governor Nasir El-Rufai, stating that he is not a recognized member of the party in the state.

Reports had earlier emerged that El-Rufai, along with some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had left the ruling party for the SDP. The former governor cited a disconnect between his personal values and the APC’s current direction as the reason for his defection.

“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,” El-Rufai stated in a press release on his X handle.

However, at a press conference in Kaduna on Friday, the party’s Assistant National Secretary for the Northwest zone, Idris Inuwa, dismissed the reports, stating that El-Rufai’s membership remains a rumor as he has yet to follow due process.

“It has come to our notice that certain individuals, including Nasir El-Rufai, are being rumored to have joined the SDP. However, neither the Chairman of the Kaduna North Local Government Chapter in Kaduna State nor the leadership of Unguwar Sarki ward has any record of these memberships,” Inuwa said.

He advised El-Rufai and others interested in joining the SDP to follow the proper procedures to be officially recognized as members.

Inuwa also rejected the reported dissolution of the Kaduna State SDP Working Committee, describing it as unconstitutional and against the principles of internal democracy.

“The Kaduna State Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) categorically rejects the purported dissolution of the State Working Committee as contained in a letter from the National Secretariat dated 25 February 2025,” he stated.

According to him, the Kaduna State Executive Committee was formed through a duly conducted State Congress and holds a valid four-year mandate. He insisted that any attempt to dissolve the committee must follow constitutional provisions, including an investigation, the formation of a committee, and a fair hearing.

“The SDP constitution states very clearly the process and procedure to follow in dissolving a State Exco, which includes but is not limited to initiating an investigation, setting up a committee, and providing a fair hearing transparently before a decision is taken. None of this was done—only the resort to the illegal unilateral letter of dissolution,” Inuwa added.

He concluded by reaffirming that the Kaduna State SDP remains open to new members as long as they adhere to the established guidelines.