El-Rufai’s Shock Defection Sparks Political Firestorm as Presidency, APC Hit Back
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has ignited a political storm with his dramatic defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), a move seen as a direct challenge to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
El-Rufai, in a scathing critique of the APC, accused the party of derailing from its founding principles and pledged to mobilize opposition forces to unseat the ruling government. “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 by-elections,” he declared.
His defection letter, addressed to his ward in Kaduna State and publicly shared, detailed his frustration with the APC’s leadership. “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,” he wrote.
The Presidency and the APC wasted no time in hitting back, dismissing El-Rufai’s move as an act of desperation driven by “an inordinate ambition destined to fail.” The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, downplayed El-Rufai’s influence, stating, “We will interrogate the motive in the coming days. Associating with sore losers to unseat the incumbent is not an ideology, neither is it progressivism.”
Similarly, the APC leadership in Kaduna brushed off El-Rufai’s defection as insignificant. Kaduna APC Secretary, Yahaya Baba-Pate, described it as “political gyration,” emphasizing that the party remains solidly behind President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani ahead of 2027.
Beyond Kaduna, El-Rufai’s sudden political maneuvering has sparked intense speculation. His recent high-profile meetings with opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, suggest broader realignments ahead of the next election cycle. At a recent conference on strengthening democracy, El-Rufai openly called for opposition unity against the APC, further fueling speculations about a potential mega coalition.
However, not all opposition figures are convinced. Salihu Lukman, a former APC chieftain involved in the proposed coalition talks, criticized El-Rufai’s defection as premature, stating that “we expected him to be more patient so we could walk out as a group.” Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dismissed his move as a strategic blunder, while the Pat Utomi-led National Consultative Front welcomed him as a key player in the anti-APC movement.
As political realignments intensify, El-Rufai’s defection sets the stage for what could be a fiercely contested 2027 election. While his ability to unify the fractured opposition remains uncertain, his departure from the APC marks a significant rupture within Nigeria’s ruling party. The coming months will reveal whether his bold gamble will reshape the political landscape or end in failure as his critics predict.