"Tinubu Owns SDP": APC Chief Chieftain Makes Stunning Claim on El-Rufai's Defection

"Tinubu Owns SDP": APC Chief Chieftain Makes Stunning Claim on El-Rufai's Defection

  • An APC Chieftain, Joe Igbokwe, has claimed that the SDP, which former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, just joined, was under the control of President Bola Tinubu
  • Igbokwe, a former APC spokesperson in Lagos, claimed while reacting to the defection of El-Rufai, from his party to the SDP
  • The APC chieftain recalled that President Tinubu served as a senator under the SDP and late Chief MKO Abiola was its presidential candidate in 2023

Ikeja, Lagos - Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has claimed that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was under the control of President Bola Tinubu, who doubled as the leader of the APC.

Igbokwe claimed this in a covert reaction to Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state, defection from the APC to the SDP. El-Rufai, a one-time minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has made several outbursts against the ruling party and its leadership.

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Joe Igbokwe has said the SDP that Nasir El-Rufai has joined is under the control of President Bola Tinubu.
Joe Igbokwe, while reacting to Nasir El-Rufai's defection from the APC, said that the SDP belonged to President Bola Tinubu Photo Credit: @elrufai, @Joe Igbokwe, @officialABAT
Source: Twitter

Why El-Rufai dumped the APC

The former governor had complained of lack of internal democracy within the APC and alleged that the party has become a one-man show. He had wondered why the party did not hold the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for two years.

El-Rufai also alleged that the APC and President Bola Tinubu's administration have deviated from the core values in which the party was founded. He further accused the president of deliberately removing him from the ministerial list and dismissed the report that his ministerial nomination was rejected because of a security report with the Department of State Service (DSS).

Following several outbursts, the former governor dumped the party and joined the SDP, just a day after he held a meeting with the two-time governor of Osun and ex-minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola. He also met with another founding member of the APC, Pastor Tunde Bakare.

Read also

Shehu Sani reacts as El-Rufai dumps APC for SDP, video emerges

Nasir El-Rufai has defected from the APC to the SDP
Nasir El-Rufai has decided to leave the APC and joined the SDP Photo Credit: @elrufai
Source: Twitter

How Igbokwe reacted to El-Rufai's defection

In his reaction to the development, Igbokwe, in a series of messages on his Facebook page, was of the view that any politician planning to contest against President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, should be informed that the president has the control of the party.

One of his posts reads:

“If indeed SDP is still alive and kicking in Nigeria, then know the truth and have inner peace: PBAT (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu) is the owner. Ignore him to your own peril.”

Igbokwe, a one-time spokesperson of the Lagos APC, recalled that the SDP was a popular political party in the 1993 presidential election. He recalled that the late Chief MKO Abiola contested under the SDP in 1993.

In another Facebook post, the APC chieftain explained that Tinubu served as a senator under the SDP in 1993. He said "Go and investigate and verify. He is the owner of SDP.”

Read also

Fayemi breaks silence on defection as El-Rufai dumps APC

See Igbokwe's post here:

Shehu Sani reacts to El-Rufai defection

Legit.ng earlier reported that Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state, who dumped the APC for the SDP, has continued to generate reactions from stakeholders.

Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna Central senatorial district senator, expressed the confidence that his defection was a good riddance.

According to Sani, El-Rufai's defection has no political relevance on the APC and the ruling party is confident of securing victory in the state.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Bada Yusuf avatar

Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng