Politics
VIDEO: Drama as El-Rufai snubs ADC, announces new party to vote in Kaduna bye-election
Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has sparked speculation regarding his departure from the recently adopted coalition political platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
El-Rufai had, in recent weeks, joined several opposition leaders—including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi—in endorsing the ADC as their political platform in anticipation of the 2027 elections.
He has urged constituents from Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency, as well as Zaria Kewaye and Basawa state constituencies, to cast their votes for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, in a notable shift, he has called upon the electorate in Zaria and Chikun to support the SDP in the upcoming by-election scheduled for Saturday, August 16. This election is intended to assess the opposition’s strength as preparations for the 2027 general election continue.
It is worth noting that El-Rufai’s political trajectory includes a defection to the SDP after leaving the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). However, following his arrival in the SDP, the party encountered a leadership crisis, and El-Rufai has maintained a silence regarding his membership status and the allegations directed at him.
Moreover, during a recent visit to Sokoto, the former governor participated in two significant events aimed at mobilizing public awareness among constituents and political stakeholders with the objective of unseating President Tinubu and the APC in the forthcoming general election.
In his address at these events, El-Rufai criticized the incumbent administration, characterizing it as a “failed, clannish, and visionless government” that has exacerbated Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.
He declared that it was time for Nigerians to rise against the APC and accused the party of ‘broken promises and elite conspiracy’.
He warned that any move to vote for the APC beyond 2027 would be a greater doom for the country.
However, in a sharp turn, the former governor, in a video posted on his social media page ahead of the by-election, urged the people in the constituencies where the poll will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, August 16, to vote for the SDP rather than the ADC he went to Sokoto to canvass for.