Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been expelled from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and has received a 30-year ban from party activities.

The SDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) announced this decision, stating that it aligns with the party’s constitution, ideology, manifesto, principles, and practices, as well as the Constitutional provisions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, which grant political parties the exclusive right to determine their membership.

In a statement, party spokesperson Araba Rufus Aiyenigba cautioned members against associating with El-Rufai or anyone who does not represent the party’s interests. The statement emphasized: “El-Rufai is hereby banished and banned from applying for membership, as well as from using the name, insignia, logo, symbol, mark, or participating in any activities, organs, agencies, and institutions of the SDP. He is also prohibited from donating to, supporting, contributing to, or engaging in any affairs of the SDP for a period of 30 years, effective immediately.”

It is important to note that El-Rufai joined the SDP after leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC). He is also a significant member of the opposition coalition that recently selected the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the upcoming 2027 election.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has raised the alarm over an attempt to stage what it described as an “illegal and unconstitutional” National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, scheduled for Friday, July 25, in Abuja.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, the party’s National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, said the National Working Committee (NWC) met and unanimously resolved to distance itself from the planned meeting, which is being convened by Probity Law Firm on behalf of some aggrieved members.

The NWC linked the move to Messrs Bissallah, Modibbo, and Ekpeyong, who it said were earlier cautioned and educated on proper NEC procedures, but ignored repeated directives to stand down.

“This gathering is not only irregular, it is a blatant breach of our party’s constitution,” Agunloye stated.

The controversy has also drawn the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which, according to the statement, has refused to recognize the planned meeting. In a dramatic twist, thirteen SDP state chairmen submitted affidavits through their lawyers to INEC on July 23, disclaiming their alleged endorsement of the meeting and accusing the organisers of forging their signatures.

Dr. Agunloye warned all party officials—especially zonal officers, state chairmen, and elected lawmakers—to steer clear of the gathering or risk disciplinary action.

The SDP, once seen as a beacon of ideological politics, now finds itself navigating internal turbulence that could reshape its leadership structure in the weeks ahead.

The new Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, on Thursday, downplayed the relevance and strength of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“There is no opposition for now,” he said dismissively on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme shortly after he emerged as the ruling party’s chairman on Thursday in Abuja which was  monitored by Newsblast.

“Zero fears,” he said of the opposition coalition champion on the ADC platform. The new APC chair also boasted that his party would win the next presidential election.

“Why is it that all the by-elections in the last two years were all won by the APC and in landslide victories, in most cases?” he quipped.

The former humanitarian affairs minister said the APC has no fears about the opposition parties, saying that they’ve all failed in off-season governorship polls post-2023 general elections in Edo, Ondo, Kogi and Imo states. The APC won the four governorship elections.

He said he would invest in legwork to bring more governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties to join the APC.

“My job is to unite the party, (and) to expand the party. We have 23 governors and we are still counting. My job is to bring in more. We would do legwork and bring in more,” he said.

So far in 2025, two governors dumped the PDP for the APC — Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and his Delta State counterpart, Sheriff Oborevwori. At the moment, the APC controls 23 states, the PDP rules 10 states, whilst the Labour Party (LP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) control one state each.