Oshiomhole Expresses Surprise Over El-Rufai’s Defection to SDP
Former Edo State governor and senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has expressed surprise over the defection of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Oshiomhole, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, appeared unaware that El-Rufai had formally left the ruling party earlier in the year.
When asked about his “good friend” during the live interview, the senator initially responded, “El-Rufai? Yes, he is in APC.” Upon being told that El-Rufai had defected, Oshiomhole replied with mild disbelief, “Has he (left)? Okay. Yes, he is my very good friend.”
El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, had announced his resignation from the party on March 10, 2025, in a letter to his ward executives in Kaduna.
He joined the SDP the same day, citing disillusionment with the APC’s leadership and accusing the party of abandoning internal democracy and straying from its founding ideals.
His exit marked one of the most significant political defections since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, sparking speculation of realignments ahead of the 2027 elections.
Reacting to reports that El-Rufai had allegedly vowed to “send President Tinubu back to Lagos,” Oshiomhole dismissed the statement as unserious.
“That means the president doesn’t need to pay for any airfare to go back,” he quipped, adding that El-Rufai’s earlier comments about other politicians should be revisited.
“Perhaps we should play back what El-Rufai had said about Atiku Abubakar, since he is a prophet. Whatever he had prophesied for Atiku Abubakar and what he had said of the PDP and other political parties,” Oshiomhole said.
The former APC national chairman also downplayed El-Rufai’s political influence, noting that despite his prominence, the party lost Kaduna in the last general election while President Tinubu still won nationally.
“I need to remind you that we didn’t win Kaduna under El-Rufai (and Lagos), yet he (the president) won,” he said.
Oshiomhole, however, praised Kaduna’s current governor for fostering unity in a state long plagued by religious and ethnic divisions.
“As a Kaduna boy, it’s easy to hear from the street that the major issue that has bogged down Kaduna development for a long time, the seeming division exploited between Southern and Northern Kaduna, the new governor has woven them together. He has shown that a Muslim can associate with Christians by leading by example,” he said.
He concluded that peace was gradually returning to Kaduna, adding, “Those religious bigots are now retreating, and the people are beginning to enjoy the benefit of an increasingly unified state.”
