Setback For El-Rufai’s Coalition As Women Leader Quits SDP

Hajia Zainab Sani, the Women Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Kaduna State has resigned from the party, which is a major setback to the planned SDP–ADC merger reportedly being spearheaded by former Governor Malam. Nasir El-Rufai.

Zainab, a grassroots mobiliser from Giwa Local Government Area, has for years stood out as one of the most influential female political figures in Kaduna.

A former stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), she played a central role in women mobilisation during the party’s election victories before defecting to the SDP, where she became one of El-Rufai’s trusted political allies.

Announcing her resignation, Zainab said she could no longer remain in a party that, in her words, “has lost touch with the people” and is “driven more by elite political interests than by the realities of the masses.”

“The SDP has failed to demonstrate a people-first agenda,” she declared. “Our people are still grappling with poverty, insecurity, and hunger. Many in Kaduna have not forgotten the anti-people policies of the last administration, and I will not be part of any arrangement that seeks to repackage that legacy under a different banner,” she added.

Analysts believe her resignation could reshape the emerging political alliances in Kaduna, particularly as the SDP struggles to maintain relevance amid talks of a merger with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to form a third force ahead of the 2027 elections

While Zainab has yet to announce her next political move, insider sources told our correspondent that she has concluded arrangements to return to the APC.