SDP Chieftain Finally Reveals Why El-Rufai Was Expelled from the Party

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has explained the events that led to the expulsion of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai from the party.

Adebayo spoke during a recent interview where he addressed the controversy surrounding El-Rufai’s short-lived association with the SDP.

He also used the opportunity to distance the party from several high-profile politicians who are now positioning themselves as opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, the issue began shortly after El-Rufai publicly announced that he had joined the party. The declaration, he said, immediately raised questions among party members at the grassroots level.

Adebayo explained that officials within the party structure started making inquiries after the announcement was seen on television. However, the ward leadership where the former governor was expected to register reportedly had no record of his membership.

“The ward complained that they saw him on television saying he had joined the party, but they had not seen him register,” Adebayo said.

He stated that investigations were then carried out through the party’s internal structures, including the local government and state levels. The checks, according to him, revealed irregularities in the way El-Rufai’s membership was processed.

Adebayo claimed that the former governor did not complete the standard registration procedure required by the party. Instead, he allegedly secured a membership card outside the official system and maintained a separate register that was not recognised by the party’s grassroots leadership.

The SDP leadership initially attempted to resolve the matter quietly. Party officials reportedly asked El-Rufai to regularise his membership by following the same process required of other members.

However, the situation worsened as tensions grew between the former governor and the party leadership. Adebayo alleged that El-Rufai began holding meetings with national officials and making public statements as though he was already fully integrated into the party’s leadership structure.

He further claimed that the former Kaduna governor pushed for the immediate admission of a coalition of political figures into the SDP. According to Adebayo, the proposal did not follow the party’s internal screening procedures, which are designed to vet new entrants.

The SDP leadership, he said, repeatedly warned the former governor to comply with party rules and respect its internal processes.

When those warnings were allegedly ignored, disciplinary measures were taken against him. The party eventually moved to expel El-Rufai after concluding that he had failed to follow its guidelines.

Beyond the controversy, Adebayo criticised what he described as the growing attempt by members of Nigeria’s “old political establishment” to regroup under opposition platforms ahead of the next election cycle.

He specifically mentioned figures such as former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami and former Senate President David Mark.

Adebayo argued that many of the politicians now presenting themselves as opposition voices had spent several years in government without solving the same governance problems they are currently condemning.

According to him, the SDP would avoid alliances that could weaken its mission to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s political system.

“Our position is that Nigerians need a clean break from the past,” he said.

He added that the party intends to build a political movement driven by ordinary Nigerians rather than agreements among political elites.

Adebayo also maintained that the SDP’s focus ahead of the 2027 elections would be on mobilising voters across the country and presenting what he described as a credible alternative to the current administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.