Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing a divergence in values and the APC’s “unhealthy situation.”

In a statement released on March 10th, 2025, El-Rufai detailed his reasons for leaving the party he helped found.

El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, expressed “fond memories” of his involvement in the party’s formation.

However, he stated that “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 criticised the APC for having “castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt.”

“I have diligently served the APC and made my contributions to its viability as a political platform, but I recognise that the party has since strayed and left me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers,” El-Rufai stated.

He highlighted his contributions to the APC’s electoral victories in 2015, 2019, and 2023, and his eight-year tenure as Kaduna State Governor, during which he implemented “progressive policies to advance human development.”

However, he expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the party, stating, “I find this no longer acceptable.”

El-Rufai announced that he had submitted his resignation letter to his ward in Kaduna, effective immediately.

He further revealed that he had consulted with mentors, colleagues, and loyalists across the country before making the decision to join the SDP.

“I have now decided to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and adopt it as the platform for our future political engagements and activities,” El-Rufai declared.

He outlined his intention to engage with and persuade other opposition leaders and parties to unite under a “unified democratic platform” to challenge the APC in future elections. He called on his supporters and those “concerned about our country’s future” to join him in the SDP.

“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,” El-Rufai said.