EL-RUFAI DISMISSES DEFECTOR POLITICS, LAUNCHES SDP PLATFORM FOR NEW NIGERIA
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has downplayed the recent spate of high-profile defections to the APC, asserting that Nigeria’s real salvation lies not in political celebrity but in finding genuine solutions to the nation’s problems.
Speaking to journalists in Kano, El-Rufai revealed that his move to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was driven by a vision to create an inclusive platform where merit, not money or godfathers, would determine political advancement.
He criticized the current political landscape as suffocated by entrenched interests and said the SDP would prioritize unleashing Nigeria’s vast, untapped leadership potential. “These high-level defections are good for headlines,” he said, “but if you don’t have the people, you are nothing.”
El-Rufai, who was in Kano to consult with Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II and meet with local SDP members, outlined a vision of competitive politics driven by ideas, not cash or connections — a stark contrast to the political horse-trading gripping the nation’s power centers.
