Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, has fueled speculations that he dumped the recently adopted coalition political platform, African Democratic Congress (ADC), as he called on the people of Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency and Zaria Kewaye and Basawa state constituency to vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
El-Rufai recently joined other opposition leaders, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former governor of Rivers, Rotimi Amaechi, in adopting the ADC as their political platform ahead of the 2027 election.
Where the election will hold in Kaduna
However, in a dramatic turn, the former governor urged the people of Zaria and Chikun to vote for the SDP in the Saturday, August 16, by-election, a poll which was meant to test the opposition's strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recall that El-Rufai defected to the SDP after dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but soon after joining the party, the SDP fell into a leadership crisis, and the former governor has been silent on his membership and allegations against him.
El-Rufai recently visited Sokoto on a mission to gather support for the ADC. He described his action as a patriotic one to rescue Nigeria from the grip of 'nepotism' and 'incompetence'.
El-Rufai canvases votes for ADC in Sokoto
During his visit to Sokoto, the former governor attended two important events meant to sensitize the people and political stakeholders working to achieve the agenda of sacking President Tinubu and the APC in the next general election.
During his address at the event, the former governor lambasted the ruling party and called them 'a failed, clannish, and visionless administration that has plunged Nigeria into deeper socio-economic misery'.
He declared that it was time for Nigerians to rise against the APC and accused the party of 'broken promises and elite conspiracy'. He warned that any move to vote for the APC beyond 2027 would be a greater doom for the country.
However, in a sharp turn, the former governor, in a video posted on his social media page ahead of the by-election, urged the people in the constituencies where the poll will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, August 16, to vote for the SDP rather than the ADC he went to Sokoto to canvass for.
See the video of El-Rufai here:
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) August 14, 2025
