LIVE UPDATES
The National Working Committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has expelled former Governor of Kaduna, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, from the party. SDP has declared El-Rufai ineligible to associate with the party in any capacity for the next 30 years.
The party's leadership accused him of misrepresenting himself as a member, manipulating internal processes, and trying to destabilize the organization through unconstitutional actions and misleading political strategies.
This information was disclosed in a statement signed and shared by the National Publicity Secretary, Araba Aiyenigba, in Abuja on Monday.
According to him, the NWC made this decision after a thorough investigation into El-Rufai’s controversial claims regarding his membership and what they termed as “alleged backdoor political activities,” which have exacerbated internal divisions and threatened the party’s unity and ideological integrity.
The statement indicated, "El-Rufai did not register with the SDP at his ward level as the party's constitution necessitates, yet he falsely claimed on social media that he had joined the party.
He additionally forged documents to illustrate his membership and seized photo opportunities with suspended party leaders to reinforce this deception.
“In accordance with the SDP's constitution, its ideology, manifesto, principles, and practices, as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act concerning a political party's exclusive authority to determine its membership, the National Working Committee deliberated on the contentious membership status of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai from Kaduna State, who has been presenting himself as an SDP member despite the Kaduna State Executives asserting he has not joined but has been promoting the activities of other political parties in the State.
“Initially, this individual, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, was given the benefit of the doubt due to his stature as a former Minister and State Governor who should understand the implications of false representation and impersonation, particularly as he stated on his social media accounts that he had joined the SDP, which resulted in congratulatory messages from significant leaders within our party and a request for a letter of support from the National Publicity Secretary.
“However, after thorough inquiry, it was confirmed that the Kaduna State SDP was correct in its assertion that this individual had not joined the SDP.
The following facts emerged: Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai failed to register at his Ward as legally required despite falsely claiming on social media that he had joined the SDP.
“El-Rufai dedicated considerable effort to misrepresenting his membership through photo opportunities with suspended National Chairman Shehu Musa Gabam and some SDP leaders who believed he had joined the SDP in Kaduna State; El-Rufai faced significant eligibility challenges due to a troubling history of intolerance and persecution of the SDP as an opposition party during his tenure as Governor of Kaduna State under the APC.”
SDP further accused the former Kaduna governor of aligning with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) while attempting to drag SDP into an unauthorized political coalition.
The SDP stated, “Having verified that he publicly declared for the ADC and continued actions contrary to the SDP’s principles and practices, the party has no choice but to disassociate and excommunicate him.
“As a result, El-Rufai has been banned from applying for membership, identifying with the name, insignia, logo, or participating in any SDP affairs for a period of 30 years, effective immediately.”
The SDP urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant bodies to acknowledge El-Rufai’s non-member status, warning that he is not authorized to act or speak on behalf of the party.
Reaffirming its dedication to internal democracy, national patriotism, and principled opposition, the party encouraged all Nigerians wishing to join its ranks to do so through lawful and transparent methods.
“In an attempt to evade his past, El-Rufai proposed an elaborate welcome ceremony at the SDP National Secretariat in Abuja, but he was advised that such an event was not feasible, and he should return home to register at his Ward in Kaduna State after completing a simple eligibility interview and onboarding process.
“Instead of registering properly with the Ward Executives, this individual forged documents and self-registered, erroneously claiming “number 001 in the SDP membership register of Unguwar Sarki Ward, Kaduna North Local Government Area,” as if there had been no other member in the Ward before his alleged joining.
This contradicts all existing and updated records of the SDP in Kaduna State.” It is worth noting that El-Rufai recently declared his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress and his defection to the Social Democratic Party, citing a growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as his primary reason for this decision.
