Senator Wadada Set To Quit SDP Over Principled Differences with El-Rufai

Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, representing Nasarawa West in the Nigerian Senate, has announced his decision to quit the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing differences with certain individuals who have recently joined the party.

In an exclusive interview with newsmen in Keffi yesterday, Senator Wadada, specifically named Malam Nasir El-Rufai, a former Governor of Kaduna State, was a major reason for his decision.

He stated that although El-Rufai is his elder brother, he can not remain in the same party with someone whose political principles he does not respect.

“Even though Malam El-Rufai is my elder brother, I don’t think I can stay with him in the SDP because he is not a principled politician,” Senator Wadada said.

He criticized El-Rufai’s political shift, noting that El-Rufai was once a staunch advocate for power rotation to the South and played a critical role in the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, both as the APC flagbearer and ultimately the President. However, Wadada expressed disappointment that Nasir El-Rufai abandoned the APC for the SDP, not for any other reason than his inability to secure a ministerial position.

“What changed in President Tinubu between the time El-Rufai supported him and now that he has defected to the SDP,” he questioned the rationale behind El-Rufai’s move.

He described the defection as driven by selfish interests, emphasizing that he cannot work with individuals who place personal ambition above the collective interest.