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 activities on him. This decision was announced following a high-level disciplinary committee meeting and is reportedly due to allegations of anti-party behavior and conduct deemed detrimental to the party’s integrity.
In March 2025, Nasir El‑Rufai formally resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he helped organize. He stated internal dysfunction, loss of democratic values, and a misalignment with his personal ideals as his reasons for leaving.
He defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), presenting it as a platform free from godfatherism, and promised to mobilise opposition against APC ahead 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 seeking to use the party for personal gain. They labeled him an undertaker bent on destroying the SDP’s core values and called on the leadership to resist his influence.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the party disowned El-Rufai outrightly with claims that there was no record of his membership at the state level which is mandatory according to the party’s constitution and also asserting that he had misled others by claiming to be a party member on false premise.
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On July 25, 2025, a controversial meeting billed as a National Executive Committee (NEC) gathering was held in Abuja. SDP’s Forum of State Chairmen denounced it as fake, unconstitutional, and unauthorized, alleging that El‑Rufai masterminded the event to destabilise the party. Participants were reportedly misled or lured by him, further alleging anti-party behavior and chaos-inducing actions.
His political relevance has waned in recent years, particularly after his ministerial nomination was withdrawn in 2023, reportedly over security concerns raised by the Department of State Services (DSS).
El‑Rufai’s tenure in Kaduna blends impactful reforms—particularly in fiscal policy and education—with a legacy of controversy spanning security mismanagement, civil freedoms erosion, and alleged misuse of public funds. The SDP’s decision to expel him for 30 years reflects a deliberate attempt to preserve ideological integrity, intensify internal discipline, and distance itself from perceived political opportunism.