Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has hailed what he described as a major political realignment following the reported merger of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) structure in Kaduna with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
According to a statement from the coalition’s Publicity Secretary, Darius Kurah, the alleged merger was announced at a strategic coalition meeting on Saturday, August 23, 2025, chaired by El-Rufai and attended by political stakeholders from multiple parties.
The statement claimed that the entire Kaduna SDP structure had collapsed into the ADC as part of efforts to build a stronger opposition ahead of upcoming elections.
Attendees included ADC North-West Chairman, Ja’afar Sani, Kaduna ADC Chairman, Patrick Ambut, former commissioners, SDP working committee members, and PDP representatives.
In his remarks, El-Rufai praised the move as an act of unity and vision:
“What we are witnessing is not just an alliance of party structures, but a unity of purpose. Kaduna needs leaders who can put aside narrow interests and unite to offer credible, people-focused governance.”
The ADC leadership echoed the sentiment, describing the development as a “new dawn” for politics in the state.
However, the Kaduna State chapter of the SDP has strongly denied El-Rufai’s claims. In a swift rebuttal issued on Monday, SDP State Chairman Adamu Idris dismissed the alleged merger as “spurious, misleading, and politically mischievous.”
Idris insisted that the party’s structure in Kaduna remains intact and has no plans to merge with the ADC or any coalition fronted by El-Rufai.
“These are impostors masquerading as SDP members to curry favour with El-Rufai. They do not represent our party and have no mandate to speak on its behalf,” he said.
He further accused El-Rufai of attempting to sow division within the party for personal political advantage, adding that the former governor’s brief involvement with the SDP had only led to internal strife.
“Since his exit, peace has returned, and the party has been repositioned as a credible voice for democracy and good governance,” Idris asserted.
