The Presidency has downplayed the recent defection of former Kaduna Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), suggesting that the move is driven more by personal ambition than by a genuine political ideology.
Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, responded to reports on Monday, asserting that while El-Rufai had every constitutional right to switch parties, the motivations behind his decision would be closely scrutinized. Bwala expressed skepticism about the sudden significance of El-Rufai’s political shift and indicated that more analysis would follow in the coming days.
In his comments on X (formerly Twitter), Bwala stated that El-Rufai’s association with opposition forces aiming to unseat the current government does not reflect progressivism or a political ideology but rather personal ambition, which he predicted would ultimately fail.
Responding to El-Rufai’s confirmation of his defection, Bwala said: “Senior @elrufai, I read the news today that you resigned from APC to join SDP. Well, I have nothing against you because you exercised your constitutional right. However, the motive is what we would interrogate in the coming days and remind Nigerians that you are not a phenomenon that emerged like a clap of thunder out of a blue sky.”
He added, “Associating with sore losers to unseat the incumbent is not an ideology, neither is it progressivism; it is simply an inordinate ambition, that is destined to fail.”
