Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is facing political headwinds following the lack of traction surrounding his recent defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), particularly across Nigeria’s North-West region.
El-Rufai had on March 10, 2025, announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), attributing his exit to a growing “misalignment between his values and the direction of the party.”
Following his move to the SDP, the former FCT Minister pledged to unite opposition leaders and political parties into a strong coalition aimed at unseating the APC in the forthcoming general and bye-elections.
“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 in a statement issued shortly after his defection.
However, two months later, El-Rufai’s efforts appear to have yielded little success. Despite a series of meetings and outreach efforts, the SDP has reportedly failed to gain political presence or influence in any of the seven North-Western states—Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
Sources familiar with the situation disclosed that El-Rufai had made repeated attempts to woo political heavyweights in the region, including state governors and federal lawmakers, but was rebuffed at every turn.
“He reached out to key players, especially governors and sitting senators and reps, but none gave him a positive response. Not even a state assembly member,” a source familiar with some of the discussions revealed.
The source further disclosed that El-Rufai had approached Senators Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki in Kebbi State, but all three declined his offer and instead opted to join the APC.