By Henry Umoru
ABUJA – AHEAD of 2027 general elections, there was a major depletion in the family of the Social Democratic Party, SDP yesterday as the 2023 Vice Presidential candidate of the SDP, Engr. Yusuf Buhari and the party’s Kano State governorship candidate, Bala Mohammed Gwagwarawa have dùmped the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Also yesterday, as part of political realignment, members of the Kano State Working Committee of SDP, 38 local government chairmen and Secretaries, 13 Houses of Assembly candidates and 6 House of Representatives candidates dumped the SDP for the APC.
This development is coming some weeks after the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufia left the APC for SDP, all permutations for 2027.
The defection of the SDP’s chieftains yesterday at REIZ Continental Hotel, Abuja was facilitated by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, APC, Kano North.
Addressing those who moved to APC, the Deputy President of the Senate who noted that the defection of the heavyweights of the SDP was a clear indication that the mission to use the party to tackle the APC in 2027 was dead on arrival, said, “Let me start by saying those who have been moving around, going around the country, trying to woo people to SDP, and thinking that their effort will give birth to a platform that will challenge the APC in the next election, the idea is confirmed to be dead on arrival. Dead on arrival.
“Why do I say that? People have rejected that invitation. People have said no, we are not coming to your party. The former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and others, who have been mentioned have said no.
“And to add salt into an injury, those who are in the party (SDP) are now moving to our party, APC. The party is going to be empty. Today, the Vice Presidential Candidate, the Governorship Candidate in Kano State and other heavyweights in the SDP have joined APC.
” If we had postponed the meeting to tomorrow, we would have gotten almost all the candidates who stood under the banner of the party in various states being part of this. But we are going to do that in another day in the future.”
Jibrin who assured them that they they would be treated equally and fairly in the APC, said, ” everybody is the same. So do not feel that you are coming in today and so you are not as important as those who have been in the party for long. No, you are all the same.”
The Deputy President of the Senate who hailed the decampees for recognizing the progresses that are being recorded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said, “Of course, as you said, when he came on board, he met a situation that was not palatable, but he brought in some reforms that are now being implemented and they are now working. It’s a good situation.
“And we can see how the prices are going down. Prices are going down. Inflation is coming down and so many other things. I’m glad that that is the reason why you decided to move ahead with your people down to the APC.”
In his remarks, the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje who warmly welcomed the prominent defectors, however assured them that they will be availed of all rights and privileges accorded all all party members.
Represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, Ganduje described the defection as a transition “from darkness to light,” underscoring APC’s role as a beacon of transformative leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He describes them as “political heavyweights” with deep grassroots connections, and praised them for aligning with a party dedicated to national renewal.
Ganduje who emphasized President Tinubu’s bold reforms across economic, social, and governance sectors, expressing confidence that Nigeria will emerge as one of the world’s most developed nations by the end of his tenure, said, ” APC is a party of inclusion, where every member enjoys equal rights to contest elections and contribute to nation-building,” Dr. Ganduje noted.
Also speaking, a former governor of Kano State, Senator Kabiru Gaya who told the gathering that the SDP was already empty by the time El-Rufai joined it, said, “The party is dead because the Vice Presidential candidate is here, the Governorship Candidate of SDP is here, and all other stakeholders of SDP are here. So I’m sure today we are celebrating the burial of that party.
” I would say kudos to the Deputy Senate President for your effort to bring these important and heavyweight politicians to our party.”
Why we left our party after El-Rufai’s defection, Yusuf Buhari, Gwagwarwa
Informing the gathering on why they left the SDP following El- Rufai’s joining the SDP, the Vice Presidential Candidate of the SDP, Yusuf Buhari who explained that they were motivated to the APC by the successes being recorded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said, “The fact of the matter is that everything is very clear. When this government came into power under the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there were a lot of problems on the ground. Even though we know that the former administration has done a lot, but there are still a lot of problems on the ground.
“Amongst them was the issue of insecurity. The subsidy regime has gone upside down. And because of that, His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu had to instill very strong and very painful economic reforms. Whenever you try to come up with reforms, there have to be pains.
“But after two years, we have started to see that these economic policies are yielding some fruits. The foreign exchange is beginning to stabilize. Prices of goods are coming down. Insecurity is being addressed by our military, by our brave armed forces. So hopefully, a lot of our men and women, especially in the rural areas, are going to go back to their farmlands, which is going to further reduce the cost of good prices,”
Also speaking, the former gubernatorial candidate of the SDP in Kano, Bala Muhammad Gwagwarwa who noted that they decided to return to APC given the outstanding performance of President Tinubu in about two years and thanked the Deputy President of the Senate for laying the foundation for their defection, said, “Today we decided to come back to the family. APC is a family to me. I’m part and parcel of the founders of APC. Today, we decided to come back to APC because now the country is being governed by someone who knows politics, who knows the terrain of democracy. Someone who stood for democracy. Someone who believed in this country and who worked hard to make it better. That is the President, Senator, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
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