Nasir el-Rufai, Former Kaduna State Governor has called on prominent opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP on March 10, made this appeal during an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday.
El-Rufai emphasized that he was not proposing a merger or the formation of a new political party, but rather inviting opposition leaders to unite under the SDP banner.
“My wishes and prayers are Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf, all opposition leaders to come and join SDP, not to do a merger or to register a new political party,” he stated.
The former governor explained his departure from the APC, citing a “divergence in values” with the ruling party.
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“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is 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,” he said in his statement when leaving the party.
Regarding his previous support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, El-Rufai explained that he was impressed by Tinubu’s achievements as Lagos State Governor and hoped those successes could be replicated nationally.
“We know what Tinubu did in Lagos, we are all aware, but we said if he can do the same as he did that makes Lagos great, we said okay, let’s support him,” he noted.
READ ALSO: Ministerial Exclusion: Tinubu Didn’t Want Me In His Cabinet- El-Rufai
When questioned about his own presidential ambitions for 2027, El-Rufai deflected, saying such decisions belong to “the party and the people.”
He recalled his path to becoming governor: “Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to contest.”
Although El-Rufai claimed to have informed former President Buhari about his decision to leave the APC, Buhari has since declared his continued loyalty to the ruling party.