Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is facing mounting political isolation after his high-profile defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) failed to gain momentum, particularly in the North-West geopolitical zone—his traditional political base.
On Monday, March 10, El-Rufai officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing a growing “misalignment between his values and the direction of the party.” In his announcement, he vowed to mobilize opposition forces into a united front capable of toppling the APC by the 2027 general elections.
“Without prejudice to this decision, 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 declared.
But two months later, that ambitious political realignment is faltering. According to multiple insider accounts reported by DAILY POST, El-Rufai’s efforts to build a coalition around the SDP have hit a wall. Despite a flurry of private meetings and lobbying, he has failed to convince a single major political figure in the North-West to join his cause.
The SDP remains without functional structures in any of the region’s seven states—Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara—a major setback for El-Rufai’s campaign to project the party as a viable alternative.
“He reached out to key players, especially governors and sitting senators and reps, but none gave him a positive response. Not even a state assembly member,” said a source with knowledge of the failed talks.
El-Rufai reportedly approached Senators Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki in Kebbi State—all declined. Ironically, some of these figures have instead rejoined the APC, deepening El-Rufai’s sense of betrayal.
His attempt to sway Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule into the SDP fold also ended in disappointment. “People simply don’t see the SDP led by El-Rufai as a viable alternative at this point,” a political insider said.
Further complicating El-Rufai’s situation is a trust deficit. Many in the North perceive his move as either insincere or part of a larger strategic ploy by President Tinubu to fragment the opposition. This suspicion is compounded by the fact that Tinubu himself once ran under the SDP banner in 1992.
“There’s a perception that El-Rufai’s move to the SDP is not genuine, that it’s a plot to fracture the opposition or that he’s still in Tinubu’s camp somehow,” a Kaduna-based political strategist noted.
At the moment, the SDP holds just two seats in the National Assembly: Senator Godiya Akwashiki (Nasarawa North) and Hon. Abubakar Sarki Dahiru (Nassarawa Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency)—a far cry from the national coalition El-Rufai had envisioned.
His only notable recruit so far? Comedian MC Tagwaye, known for impersonating former President Muhammadu Buhari. While popular online, Tagwaye’s political weight is negligible, further exposing El-Rufai’s lack of serious allies.
“Convincing a comedian is not the same as convincing political leaders. It shows how bad things are,” another source bluntly put it.
Meanwhile, behind closed doors, El-Rufai recently held talks with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who reportedly urged him to return to the PDP. El-Rufai, however, resisted, arguing that the PDP is crumbling under internal divisions—especially the ongoing feud between party figures and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
“He’s boxed in. Moving forward with the SDP feels like pushing a dead horse. But going back to APC is another battle entirely,” a source said. “Still, he is considering a possible return to the PDP.”
Much of El-Rufai’s current predicament can be traced back to his fallout with President Tinubu. After playing a key role in securing northern support during the 2023 elections, El-Rufai was nominated for a ministerial post—only to be dropped after a negative security report, reportedly from the Department of State Services (DSS).
That apparent betrayal marked the start of his political freefall. His controversial support for a Muslim-Muslim ticket during the 2023 election also alienated large segments of southern and Christian voters, a wound that continues to hinder his acceptability nationwide.
“El-Rufai is struggling for acceptance in the South. He’s seen as too polarising, especially among Christian communities,” said Adamu Maiyama, an APC chieftain from Kebbi.
With no clear path forward and burnt bridges behind him, Nasir El-Rufai now faces a sobering dilemma: continue a solitary crusade with dwindling returns, or stage a humbling return to a fractured PDP—a party he once abandoned.
For a politician once hailed as a strategic master of realpolitik, the question now is whether he can reinvent himself—or whether his political capital has already run dry.
