Chisom Umejiaku
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has expelled former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and imposed a 30-year ban from all party-related actions on him. This resolution was introduced following a high-level disciplinary committee assembly and is reportedly resulting from allegations of anti-party habits and conduct deemed detrimental to the celebration’s integrity.
In March 2025, Nasir El‑Rufai formally resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), a celebration he helped manage. He acknowledged inner dysfunction, lack of democratic values, and a misalignment along with his private beliefs as his causes for leaving.
He defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), presenting it as a platform free from godfatherism, and promised to mobilise opposition in opposition to APC forward of 2027 elections
Within days of his defection, the SDP youths and supporters coalition strongly rejected El‑Rufai, they accused him of being unfit, manipulative, anti-democratic, and searching for to make use of the celebration for private acquire. They labeled him an undertaker bent on destroying the SDP’s core values and referred to as on the management to withstand his affect.
In a press release issued in Abuja by the SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the celebration disowned El-Rufai outrightly with claims that there was no file of his membership on the state degree which is necessary in response to the celebration’s structure and likewise asserting that he had misled others by claiming to be a celebration member on false premise.
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On July 25, 2025, a controversial assembly billed as a National Executive Committee (NEC) gathering was held in Abuja. SDP’s Forum of State Chairmen denounced it as faux, unconstitutional, and unauthorized, alleging that El‑Rufai masterminded the occasion to destabilise the celebration. Participants have been reportedly misled or lured by him, additional alleging anti-party habits and chaos-inducing actions.
His political relevance has waned in recent times, notably after his ministerial nomination was withdrawn in 2023, reportedly over safety issues raised by the Department of State Services (DSS).
El‑Rufai’s tenure in Kaduna blends impactful reforms—notably in fiscal coverage and training—with a legacy of controversy spanning safety mismanagement, civil freedoms erosion, and alleged misuse of public funds. The SDP’s resolution to expel him for 30 years displays a deliberate try to protect ideological integrity, intensify inner self-discipline, and distance itself from perceived political opportunism.
