The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kaduna State was plunged into crisis yesterday as two factions differed over former governor Nasir El-Rufai’s membership and the national party’s 30-year ban on him.
The SDP, led by Adamu Idris in the state, said El-Rufai was not a member and had been banned by the national party.
The other camp, led by Abdullahi Maikano, said the former governor was a bona fide party member and, as such, was not banned by the national leadership as claimed.
Adamu and Maikano, who claim the party’s leadership in the state, also warned each other about their positions on the issues.
Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has rejected Nasir El-Rufai’s claim of membership and subsequently expelled him for 30 years.
The national publicity secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, in a statement released to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, said the decision to banish the former governor followed a report from the Kaduna State party executive that El-Rufai had not joined the SDP and had been promoting other political parties.
Attempts to get El-Rufai’s reaction were unsuccessful. As of press time, phone calls and text messages to the former governor had not been responded to.
Also, phone calls and text messages sent to his aides and allies, including Muyiwa Adekeye and Jaafaru Sani, were not replied to.
When LEADERSHIP contacted Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), he referred our correspondent to El-Rufai’s media aide.
The SDP’s state chairmen last week accused El-Rufai of masterminding an illegal National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
The chairman of the Forum of State Chairmen of the SDP, Femi Olaniyi Ferrari, accused the former Kaduna State governor of planning to destabilise the party.
He stated that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting took place without the forum’s knowledge or the invitation of the SDP’s National Working Committee (NWC).
This is yet another political controversy concerning the former FCT minister and Kaduna State governor.
After his relationship with the All Progressives Congress (APC) collapsed due to the Senate’s rejection of his ministerial nomination, El-Rufai gravitated towards the SDP.
He went on to hold a series of meetings with various party leaders, including the embattled SDP national chairman, Shehu Gabam, who was later removed by the party’s leadership over alleged financial infractions.
While in the SDP, the former governor had since joined the ADC coalition party, which seeks to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
SDP spokesman Aiyenigba said El-Rufai was initially given the benefit of the doubt due to his status as a former minister and governor.
He, however, said a thorough investigation revealed that El Rufai had failed to register at his ward as required by law, despite publicly claiming membership on social media.
According to him, El-Rufai attempted to misrepresent his affiliation by seeking photo opportunities with SDP leaders without a legitimate membership status.
But that is not the party’s only concern.
Aiyenigba continued, “Further complicating matters, El-Rufai’s history of intolerance towards the SDP as an opposition party raised serious eligibility concerns.
“Instead of registering properly, he forged documents to falsely declare himself “number 001” in the SDP membership register, misleadingly implying he was the first member of his ward.
“El-Rufai has also been illegitimately using the SDP’s name in various political forums, contrary to party policy, and has engaged in destabilising activities within the SDP, resulting in disunity and distrust among members. His proposed elaborate welcome ceremony at the SDP national secretariat was deemed inappropriate, leading to further suspicion.”
He also said the NWC had confirmed and ratified El-Rufai’s expulsion from the SDP, based on Article 19.1, 19.3(i), and 19.5 of the Party Constitution 2022 (as amended), due to his acts of gross indiscipline and attempts to undermine the party.
El-Rufai Not Registered With SDP In Kaduna — State Chairman
Confirming the party’s position, the Kaduna State chairman of the SDP, Adamu Idris, declared that el-Rufai was not a registered member of the party in Kaduna.
Idris, who made the clarification while reacting to the recent decision by the party’s national leadership to expel and ban El-Rufai for 30 years, said there is no official record of the former governor’s membership in the state chapter.
“As far as the Kaduna State SDP is concerned, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is not a registered member; he did not submit himself to any of our existing officials at the ward or state level for proper documentation,” he said.
Idris disclosed that the party had well-established structures across the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State with elected executives and duly registered members, stressing that el-Rufai did not follow any of the known procedures required for registration.
“We don’t know how or where he registered, and no official of the party at the ward level has confirmed issuing him a party card. So, the idea that he is even SDP member number 001 is not just false; it clearly shows something is wrong,” Idris stated.
He further explained that the party’s constitution outlines a clear-cut process for admitting new members, stressing that el-Rufai did not comply with it.
“If any membership card was issued to him, it was not from our authorised structures in Kaduna State. That alone invalidates any claim of membership,” he added.
On the 30-year ban placed on el-Rufai by the SDP national secretariat, Idris said the Kaduna State chapter aligned fully with the decision, adding that it is in line with due process.
“The press release from the national publicity secretary already made it clear that El-Rufai’s registration was improper. So, any action taken by the national leadership in line with due process has our backing,” he said.
Idris maintained that the issue is not about personalities but about protecting the integrity of the party and enforcing its rules.
“Our position does not contradict what the national secretariat has done. We only clarified that the former governor did not register through the appropriate channels here in Kaduna,” he stressed.
We Did Not Expel, Ban El-Rufai – Kaduna SDP
However factions led by Abdullahi Maikano said the SDP in Kaduna State did not expel and ban El-Rufai.
The SDP threatened legal action against those it described as impersonators and mischief makers if the smear campaign continued.
Reacting to the purported expulsion and banishment of El-Rufai from the SDP, the SDP Kaduna State chapter’s publicity secretary, Darius Kurah, issued a statement stating that the SDP, as a democratic institution, operates under a constitution that outlines clear processes for membership admission and disciplinary action.
Kurah added that El-Rufai received no official query, disciplinary hearing, or expulsion notice from any legally constituted party organ, including his ward or the National Working Committee (NWC).
The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a false and misleading statement purportedly issued by one Araba Rufus Aiyenigba claiming that Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has been expelled and banished from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for thirty years.”
”We wish to categorically state the following in response: Individual who issued the suspension order, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, was not the current national publicity secretary of the SDP. The duly recognised national publicity secretary of the SDP is Amb Judith Shu’aibu.
“Therefore, any statement issued under Aiyenigba’s name in that capacity is null, unauthorised, and of no consequence,” the state chapter of the party said.
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