The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, on Tuesday, mocked the Social Democratic Party (SDP) over its inability to attract and retain influential members in its fold.
Mr Jibrin, who represents Kano North Senatorial District, said moves to use SDP to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 are “dead on arrival.”
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He said this while receiving SDP defectors to the APC in Abuja.
The defectors are Yusuf Buhari, SDP former vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 election,, the party’s gubernatorial candidate in Kano, Bala Mohammed, members of the National Working Committee of SDP in Kano and others.
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Failed attempts to build SDP as an opposition platform
Mr Jibrin stated that some political figures had been working to reposition the SDP as an alternative to the ruling APC, but had failed to gain attention because many have rejected the party.
“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,” he said.
The deputy senate president did not directly mention names, but it was apparent that he was referring to a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Mr El-Rufai, a two-term APC governor, had been a prominent member of the party but fell out of favour after his ministerial nomination was withdrawn under the Bola Tinubu administration.
Since then, he has been critical of the APC government and has reportedly engaged in political consultations across the country in an effort to strengthen the SDP, which he joined recently.
SDP members defecting to APC
The deputy senate president said rather than gaining new members, the SDP faithful are defecting to the APC
“And to add salt to 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 SDP heavyweights have joined APC.
“If we had postponed the meeting till 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 another day in the future,” he said.
Mr Jibrin assured the defectors that they would be treated as equals in the APC.
“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.”
The deputy senate president commended the defectors for acknowledging the progress made under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“Of course, as you said, when he came on board, he met a situation that was not palatable, but he brought in some reforms that are now being implemented and they are now working. It’s a good situation.
“And we can see how the prices are going down. Prices are going down. Inflation is coming down and so many other things. I’m glad that that is the reason why you decided to move ahead with your people down to the APC,” he said.
APC National leadership welcomes defectors
The National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South) Emma Eneukwu, welcomed the defectors and assured them of equal rights within the party.
Mr Ganduje described the defection as a transition “from darkness to light.”
“APC is a party of inclusion, where every member enjoys equal rights to contest elections and contribute to nation-building,” he said.
Why we left SDP – Defectors
Mr Buhari, the former SDP vice-presidential candidate, explained that his decision to leave the party was influenced by the achievements of President Tinubu’s administration.
“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, there were still a lot of problems on the ground.
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“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 instil 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 stabilise. 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.
Similarly, Mr Mohammed, the former SDP governorship candidate in Kano, said he returned to the APC because of Mr Tinubu’s achievements.
“Today, we decided to come back to the family. APC is a family to me. I’m part and parcel of the founders of APC. Today, we decided to come back to APC because now the country is being governed by someone who knows politics, who knows the terrain of democracy. Someone who stood for democracy. Someone who believed in this country and who worked hard to make it better. That is the President, Senator, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
