Social Democratic Party (SDP) has distanced itself from former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, stating that he is not a registered member and lacks any authority to represent the party in any capacity.
Gatekeepers News reports speaking at a press conference on Friday in Kaduna, Idris Inuwa, the party’s Assistant National Secretary for the North-West zone, clarified that el-Rufai’s name does not appear in the SDP’s membership register, and he has never been assigned any official role.
This follows el-Rufai’s recent public appearances where he allegedly spoke on behalf of the party.
Recall that El-Rufai left the All Progressives Congress (APC) on March 10 and announced his defection to the SDP.
Inuwa, however, dismissed el-Rufai’s claims, saying, “ It has come to our attention that Malam Nasir el-Rufai has taken it upon himself to appear in various fora, including policy dialogues and stakeholder meetings, purporting to speak for the SDP.”
“Let this be made unequivocally clear: el-Rufai is not authorised, mandated, or recognised by the SDP to represent its interests or articulate its positions.”
The party representative further noted that el-Rufai’s actions were undertaken without the knowledge or consent of the party’s leadership, including Acting National Chairman Sadiq Umar.
He said, “ His actions were carried out entirely without the knowledge, consent, or approval of the national leadership — including our acting national chairman, Sadiq Umar.”
In reaffirming the legitimacy of the party’s leadership, Inuwa endorsed the authority of Umar, National Secretary Olu Agunloye, and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo.
He urged the public and stakeholders to ignore any statements or actions carried out by el-Rufai under the SDP’s name.
Inuwa also raised concerns about Dr. Umar Ardo, accusing him of leveraging the SDP platform to promote a separate political movement.
He added, “We pass a vote of no confidence in el-Rufai. We call for the immediate suspension of Dr Umar Ardo from the SDP. His attempt to use the party’s platform is the height of desperation and a crass display of failure in political brinkmanship.”
Inuwa warned that unless these ‘fraudulent activities’ cease, National Executive Committee (NEC) would be forced to convene a special committee to investigate and expose these misdeeds.
