The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has expelled former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, slamming him with a 30-year ban from associating with the party in any form — a move that has ignited political controversy across the country.
In a scathing statement released in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the party accused El-Rufai of falsely claiming membership, forging documents, manipulating internal processes, and attempting to destabilize the party from within.
“El-Rufai never registered at his ward level as required by the party’s constitution,” the statement read. “Yet, he falsely declared on social media that he had joined the SDP and staged photo ops with suspended party leaders to back his deception.”
The party claims El-Rufai forged his membership, declaring himself "number 001" of his ward in Kaduna — an act the party described as illegal, fraudulent, and brazenly self-serving. According to the SDP, El-Rufai also aligned with another party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while trying to drag the SDP into an unauthorized coalition.
The National Working Committee (NWC), following what it called a "thorough investigation", stated that El-Rufai’s actions were characterized by “gross indiscipline, misinformation, and manipulation”, threatening the party’s unity and ideological foundations.
As a result:
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El-Rufai has been expelled from the SDP, both nationally and globally.
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He is prohibited from using the party’s name, logo, insignia, or participating in its affairs for 30 years, until July 28, 2055.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other institutions have been officially notified of his non-member status.
The statement also revisited El-Rufai’s history, accusing him of persecuting the SDP during his time as APC governor of Kaduna State — a past the party believes he is now trying to whitewash through political reinvention.
“Rather than reform, he resorted to deception,” the NWC said, warning that any future engagement with El-Rufai in the name of the SDP would be invalid and unauthorized.
In conclusion, the party reaffirmed its commitment to “internal democracy, principled opposition, and moral clarity,” calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to join its ranks through lawful and transparent means — unlike what it described as El-Rufai’s “duplicitous shortcut to power.”
