El-Rufai supporters, ex-ADC aspirants defect to APC in Kaduna

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo Hundreds of supporters of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, including members of the El-Rufai Boys Vanguard, Nasiriyya Youth Movement, former African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidates and party executives, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging support for Governor Uba Sani. The defectors, led by Hon.

Ibrahim Khalil Dan Kasa, a former ADC House of Assembly candidate for Unguwan Sanusi Constituency, announced their decision on Thursday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Kaduna. Dan Kasa said the decision followed extensive consultations across the three senatorial districts of the state, adding that the group had withdrawn its support for the ADC governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru Kudan.

He claimed that the defection involved more than 2,000 ward coordinators, former candidates, aspirants, youth mobilisers and party executives across Kaduna State. The defectors attributed their decision to alleged internal divisions, marginalisation, denial of party tickets to their preferred aspirants and what they described as the absence of a clear policy direction within the ADC.

They also accused the party of neglecting women and youths who, according to them, were initially promised opportunities and active participation in its political activities. Dan Kasa further alleged that the leadership of the El-Rufai Youth Movement failed to protect members from what he described as mistreatment and neglect within the party. He said the group became particularly dissatisfied with the ADC’s candidate selection process, citing the alleged refusal to consider candidates recommended by El-Rufai for the Kawo and Doka Gabasawa State Assembly constituencies.

According to him, despite supporting Ashiru’s political campaign for seven months, the group had yet to see a clearly articulated manifesto or policy blueprint outlining his plans for Kaduna State. He also accused some members of Ashiru’s campaign team of disparaging El-Rufai’s political legacy despite relying on his supporters for grassroots mobilisation and campaign activities.

The former ADC candidate said ward coordinators and grassroots mobilisers were equally abandoned without adequate logistical, security and welfare support. Explaining their decision to align with Governor Sani, Dan Kasa said the governor had demonstrated commitment to continuity, infrastructural development, rural transformation and inclusive governance.

He particularly commended Sani for completing more than 80 per cent of critical urban and infrastructure projects initiated by the previous administration. The group also praised the governor’s efforts to promote religious and ethnic harmony, develop rural communities and provide opportunities for young people to participate in governance. “Politics without tangible governance is meaningless noise,” Dan Kasa said, arguing that the Sani administration had demonstrated greater commitment to development and political inclusiveness.

He, however, maintained that their respect for El-Rufai remained intact, stressing that personal loyalty should not prevent them from making political decisions they considered beneficial to Kaduna State. The defectors subsequently announced the dissolution of their political support structures within the ADC and their integration into the APC. They also pledged to deploy their grassroots mobilisation and media structures in support of Governor Sani’s administration and what they described as the continued progress and stability of Kaduna State.