Again, El-Rufai Meets SDP Leaders Amidst Defection Speculation

The immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has further fueled speculations about his intention to dump the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It was learnt that El-Rufai had a closed-door meeting with prominent members of the SDP on Sunday night.

During the meeting, he was seen at Senator Abubakar Gada’s residence in Abuja, accompanied by SDP chairman Shehu Musa Gabam and other key party figures.

Among those in attendance were the gubernatorial candidate for Oyo State under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 elections, Senator Teslim Folarin, and a notable member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Bauchi State, Senator Nazif Suleiman.

This meeting follows a recent event hosted by El-Rufai at his own residence in Abuja.

Guests included the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam (an APC member), Shehu Musa Gabam, and others for a Ramadan iftar.

Recall that El-Rufai also visited Gabam at the SDP secretariat yesterday.

Despite the diverse responses on social media to the photographs taken during these visits, there has been speculation regarding El-Rufai’s potential presidential candidacy in 2027.

However, his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, has refuted any political intentions behind these visits. Adekeye has dismissed these speculations as an “unhealthy fixation on politics,” highlighting the possibility of personal connections existing separately from political associations.