Senator Shehu Sani has downplayed the impact of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the All Progressives Congress, stating that it will not affect the ruling party’s prospects in the 2027 elections.
El-Rufai, a founding member of APC and the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, made headlines on Monday when he left the party to join the Social Democratic Party.
His departure has been seen by some pundits as a significant shift in Nigeria’s political landscape. However, Sani, who also hails from Kaduna, believes the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory holds no political weight.
Speaking on Monday’s edition of Politics Today on Channels Television, Sani stated that El-Rufai’s defection is a “good riddance” for APC in Kaduna. He described the former governor as a “liability” to the party in the state, citing the party’s electoral losses during his tenure.
“Well, first of all, for those of us from Kaduna State, it [his defection] is a good riddance because he stands as a liability to the party in the state. ”
“I can back this with facts. In 2015, APC had two senators. By 2023, all the senatorial zones were taken over by the PDP. Out of the 14 House of Representatives seats in Kaduna State, by the time he left office as governor, almost nine of the seats were won by PDP, two by the Labour Party, and then three by APC. With him as a governor, the APC also lost the presidential election in Kaduna State,” Sani explained.
Sani’s comments suggest that El-Rufai’s influence in the state may have been waning, and his exit from the APC is unlikely to affect the party’s future performance in Kaduna or nationally.
