The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has accused a former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of forging the membership registration document of the party, alleging that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory never registered with the party at any time.
In March, el-Rufai had announced his exit from the All Progressives Congress, citing poor performance by President Bola Tinubu, and his decision to join the SDP. The former governor has since identified with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), although ADC’s interim National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, last week, explained that both the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi; and El-Rufai were allowed to complete certain electoral processes within their former political parties before joining the ADC.
Abdullahi said: ‘They were given the opportunity to finalise pending elections, including by-elections and the selection of governorship candidates, within their legacy parties’.
But in a statement on Sunday, SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba not only dismissed El-Rufai’s membership claim but also alerted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant agencies and institutions that the former governor has been banned from membership of the party for 30 years.
The SDP accused El-Rufai of a failed attempt to sponsor a ‘group of dissidents to call an illegal National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party on Friday, 25 July 2025’.
The statement read: ‘In line with the Constitution of the SDP, the ideology, manifesto, principles and practices thereof, and in consonance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act pertaining to the exclusive right of a political party to determine its membership, the National Working Committee deliberated on the controversial membership status of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai from Kaduna State who has in recent months been parading himself as a member of the SDP despite the assertion of the Kaduna State executives that he has not joined the SDP but has instead been promoting the activities of other political party in the state.
‘At the initial stage, this individual Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai was given the benefit of the doubt given his status as an elderly person, a former Minister and state governor who should know the implications of false representation and impersonation, especially given the fact that he published on his social media handles that he had joined the SDP which led to congratulatory messages from prominent leaders of our party and a letter of support at his request by the National Publicity Secretary.
‘However upon thorough inquiry, it turned out that the Kaduna State SDP was right and this individual had not joined the SDP. The following facts emerged:
(1) Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai failed to register at his ward as required by the law despite falsely publishing on social media that he had joined the SDP;
(2) El-Rufai devoted so much time to putting up false representation of membership by seeking photo opportunities with the suspended National Chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam and some leaders of the SDP who assumed that he had joined the SDP in Kaduna State;
(3) El-Rufai was confronted by serious eligibility problems given an unpleasant history of intolerance and persecution of the SDP as an opposition party during his time as the Governor of Kaduna State under the APC;
(4) Apparently to run away from his past, El-Rufai proposed an elaborate welcome ceremony at the SDP National Secretariat in Abuja but was politely counseled that such a jamboree was not tenable and he should go home to register at his ward in Kaduna State after passing simple eligibility interview and on boarding process.
(5) Rather than register lawfully with the ward executives, this individual simply forged his own documents and self-registered and arrogated to himself “number 001 in the SDP membership register of Unguwar Sarki Ward, Kaduna North Local Government Area”, as if the ward had no single member prior to his purported joining. This is contrary to all existing and updated records of the SDP in Kaduna State.
(6) His dodgy membership status aside, El-Rufai has been illegitimately trading with the name of the SDP in various forums and other political transactions around the so-called coalition, despite knowing that he has no such authority and contrary to the declared policy of the SDP National Working Committee (NW) and other organs.
(7) Additionally, despite his opaque status, innumerable have been the destabilising schemes of the said Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai against the SDP at both national, state and local levels such that peace which was the hallmark of the SDP has eluded the party since he began fraternising with our leadership and membership.
(8) The obscene dangling of cash and other inducements and pure guile and utter deception, misinformation and disinformation have characterised his modus operandi leading to years of comradeship giving way to disunity, distrust, intrigues and manipulations, culminating in sponsorship and financing of grossly unconstitutional and brazenly bizzare pronouncements and gambits.
‘The NWC therefore and hereby decides that by confirming and ratifying the denunciation of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, which was earlier done by his Unguwar Sarki ward, Kaduna North Local Government Area and Kaduna State Executive Committee in Kaduna State, the SDP at all levels disassociates, disclaims, disfellowships, excommunicates Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai as a member of the SDP; and to the extent that he purportedly claims membership by self registration or any other means, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is consequently expelled from the membership of the Social Democratic Party anywhere in Nigeria and globally.
‘The foregoing actions by the NWC, which are in the exercise of its exclusive powers as guaranteed in Article 19.1; 19.3(i) and 19.5 of the party Constitution 2022, (as amended) are consequent upon the unacceptable acts of gross indiscipline of Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, particularly, in respect of the undeniable fact of having publicly declared for the ADC, which is chosen as their so-called “coalition” vehicle and his confirmed acts towards dragging the SDP dishonestly into their so-called coalition through the back door; and his selfish agenda to destabilise the party (having failed in his mission), by way of sponsoring a group of dissidents to call an illegal National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Party on Friday 25 July 2025, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai is hereby banished and banned from applying to the membership, identifying with the name, insignia, logo, symbol, mark or any activities, organs, agencies and institutions of the SDP or donating to, supporting, contributing to, participating in any affairs of the SDP for a period of 30 (thirty) years effective from today.
‘Members of the SDP across Nigeria and the general public are by this public notice informed that Mallam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufai is not a member of the SDP, and does not represent the interests of the Party at any level, and for any purpose or to any intent.
‘The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant agencies and institutions are hereby notified of the non-member status and non-eligibility of Mallam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufai for SDP membership effective until Wednesday 28 July 2055.
‘The SDP is committed to national patriotism, party discipline, ideological clarity, moral rectitude, candour, honour, integrity, principled opposition, fair contest and internal democracy. We welcome all Nigerians who subscribe to these ideals and have the revolutionary patience to move the Nigerian people towards abolition of corruption and farewell to poverty and insecurity, without cutting corners and indulging in duplicity or insincerity’.
