In a significant political shake-up, key figures in the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), including the party’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, Yusuf Buhari, and Kano State governorship candidate, Bala Gwagwarawa, have officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defections, formalised at an event in Abuja on Tuesday, also saw the movement of the entire SDP State Working Committee in Kano State, 38 local government chairmen and secretaries, 13 state assembly candidates, and six House of Representatives candidates, into the APC.
However, reacting to the wave of defections, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau declared that plans to position the SDP as a viable alternative to the APC in 2027 had collapsed. He described the shift as a fatal blow to former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who recently joined the SDP with hopes of reviving the party.
“Those traversing the nation, trying to build the SDP into a viable platform to rival the APC in 2027, have failed utterly. That mission is dead on arrival. Nigerians have rejected it. Even prominent figures like Sule Lamido have distanced themselves from the party,” Barau stated.
“Today, the vice-presidential candidate, Kano’s governorship flag-bearer, and other SDP stalwarts have joined the APC. More are expected to follow suit in the coming days. If we delayed this meeting till tomorrow, nearly all SDP candidates nationwide would have joined us.”
APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje welcomed the defectors, promising them equal rights and privileges within the ruling party. He described their move as a transition from “darkness to light,” emphasising APC’s commitment to transformative leadership under President Bola Tinubu.
Former Governor of Kano State, Kabiru Gaya, echoed similar sentiments, arguing that the SDP was already politically weakened before El-Rufai’s arrival.
“The SDP is dead. Its vice-presidential candidate is here, the Kano candidate is here, and all key stakeholders are now with APC. I commend the Deputy Senate President for securing these heavyweight politicians for our party. It’s a great victory for APC,” Gaya remarked.
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