El-Rufai Finally Leaves APC For SDP One Year After Visiting National Secretariat Of His New Party
Former governor Nasir El-rufai has announced his decision to leave APC for SDP and this has come one year after he visited the national secretariat of his new party in Abuja.
SDP National Secretary, Dr Olu Agunloye had though said the visit was not ‘political’, El-rufai has eventually said ‘To your tents, O Israel!’ and kissed APC bye.
‘Everybody has been friends with El-rufai. The National Chairman and El-Rufai were in the PDP at some point. El-Rufai and I were in (Olusegun) Obasanjo’s cabinet. He only came to visit his old friends. So, what can come out of that? I don’t know. Anything can and nothing may.
It wasn’t as if there was an appointment for the visit. If you were in Abuja and came to the office, you would meet us because we are all here. So, it was a friendly visit’ Agunloye had said.
El-Rufai announced his decision to quit APC in an X.com post on Monday expressing his disappointment with the ruling party’s leadership while also accusing the party of straying from the progressive ideals of its founding members.
‘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 said.
The former Kaduna State governor added that he has submitted his 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.
El-rufai urged 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-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
