Former governor of Kaduna State and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai has resigned from the ruling Party.
El-Rufai, who announced his resignation from the APC on Monday, March 10, 2025, submitted his resignation letter from thearty, effective immediately to his ward in Kaduna State.
Subsequently, he announced his decision to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), describing it as the platform for his future political engagements.
El-Rufai also cited growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his decision.
He stressed that the APC has castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt in the last two years, a situation he emphasised, he found no longer acceptable.
El-Rufai in a statement on Monday, March 10, 2025, expressed disappointment with the APC’s leadership, stressing that the Party has strayed from the progressive ideals of its founding members.
The former governor of Kaduna State said that he had raised concerns about the APC’s trajectory both privately and publicly over the past two years but found no willingness among the current leadership to address the issues.
He particularly noted that the developments in the last two years confirmed that there was no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address the unhealthy situation of the party.
In the words of El-Rufai; “At this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish”.
El-Rufai noted his efforts in negotiating the merger of political parties that led to the creation of the ruling party and also highlighted his contributions to the APC’s electoral successes in 2015, 2019, and 2023, as well as his tenure as Kaduna State governor, during which he implemented policies focused on education, healthcare, infrastructure, job creation, and investment.
According to him; “My eight-year tenure in Kaduna State was devoted to implementing progressive policies to advance human development. These records count for little in the current APC that has castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt in the last two years. I find this no longer acceptable”.
El-Rufai called on his supporters and concerned Nigerians to join him in the SDP, saying that the need for a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC is paramount.
