Defections: Mission to use SDP against APC in 2027 dead on arrival – Barau, Ganduje

Barely a week after former governor of Kaduna State , defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to Social Democratic Party (SDP), stalwarts of the party in Kano state, made counter defections  on Tuesday in Abuja. 

A development the Deputy President of the Senate , Jibrin Barau and National Chairman of APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje said made El – rufai’s effort to use SDP to counter APC in the 2027 general election as dead on arrival .

Specifically the 2023 Vice Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Engr. Yusuf Buhari, alongside the party’s Kano state governorship candidate, Bala Mohammed Gwagwarawa, members of the Kano State Working Committee, 38 local government chairmen and secretaries, 13 house of assembly and 6 house of representatives candidates , were among those who defected from SDP to APC at REIZ Continental Hotel  Abuja.

The defection of the SDP’s chieftains was facilitated by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin. 

Addressing the decampees, the Deputy President of the Senate, said the defection of the heavyweights of the SDP shows that the mission to use the party to tackle the APC in 2027 was dead on arrival.

“Let me start by saying those who have been moving around, going around the country, trying to woo people to SDP, and thinking that their effort will give birth to a platform that will challenge the APC in the next election, the idea is confirmed to be dead on arrival. Dead on arrival. 

“Why do I say that? People have rejected that invitation. People have said no, we are not coming to your party. The former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido and others, who have been mentioned have said no.

“And to add salt into an injury, those who are in the party (SDP) are now moving to our party, APC. The party is going to be empty. Today, the Vice Presidential Candidate, the Governorship Candidate in Kano State and other heavyweights in the SDP have joined APC.

” If we had postponed the meeting to tomorrow, we would have gotten almost all the candidates who stood under the banner of the party in various states being part of this. But we are going to do that in another day in the future,” he said.

He assured the decampees that they would be treated equally and fairly in the APC, saying “everybody is the same. So do not feel that you are coming in today and so you are not as important as those who have been in the party for long. No, you are all the same.”

He commended the decampees for recognising the progresses that are being recorded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The national chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje,  while warmly welcoming the prominent defectors, assured them that they will be availed of all rights and privileges accorded all all party members.

Represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, Ganduje described the defection as a transition “from darkness to light,” underscoring APC’s role as a beacon of transformative leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.  

He describes them as “political heavyweights” with deep grassroots connections, and praised them for aligning with a party dedicated to national renewal.

He emphasised President Tinubu’s bold reforms across economic, social, and governance sectors, expressing confidence that Nigeria will emerge as one of the world’s most developed nations by the end of his tenure.  

“APC is a party of inclusion, where every member enjoys equal rights to contest elections and contribute to nation-building,” Dr. Ganduje noted.

On his part, a former governor of Kano state, Senator Kabiru Gaya, told the gathering that the SDP was already empty by the time El-Rufai joined it.

“The party is dead because the Vice Presidential candidate is here, the Governorship Candidate of SDP is here, and all other stakeholders of SDP are here. So I’m sure today we are celebrating the burial of that party.

” I would say kudos to the Deputy Senate President for your effort to bring these important and heavyweight politicians to our party,” he said.

Why we left our party after El-Rufai’s defection – Yusuf Buhari, Gwagwarwa

The Vice Presidential Candidate of the SDP, Yusuf Buhari, said they were motivated to the APC by the successes being recorded under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

“The fact of the matter is that everything is very clear. When this government came into power under the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there were a lot of problems on the ground. Even though we know that the former administration has done a lot, but there are still a lot of problems on the ground.

“Amongst them was the issue of insecurity. The subsidy regime has gone upside down. And because of that, His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu had to instill very strong and very painful economic reforms. Whenever you try to come up with reforms, there have to be pains. 

“But after two years, we have started to see that these economic policies are yielding some fruits. The foreign exchange is beginning to stabilize. Prices of goods are coming down. Insecurity is being addressed by our military, by our brave armed forces. So hopefully, a lot of our men and women, especially in the rural areas, are going to go back to their farmlands, which is going to further reduce the cost of good prices,” he said.

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