El-Rufai loyalists, ADC members defect to APC, party dismisses move
Hundreds of supporters of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, including members of the El-Rufai Boys Vanguard, Nasiriyya Youth, former African Democratic Congress candidates and party executives, have defected to the All Progressives Congress in support of Governor Uba Sani.
The defectors, who announced their resignation from the ADC at the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists on Thursday, also withdrew their support for the party’s governorship candidate, Isa Ashiru Kudan.
Operating under the aegis of the Coalition of El-Rufai Youth Groups, the group chanted solidarity slogans, including “Ba Mayi” (We are doing it), “ADC ta mutu a Kaduna” (ADC is dead in Kaduna) and “Uba Sani so biyu ne” (Uba Sani is twice as good), as they declared their support for the governor.
Reading a prepared statement on behalf of the group, a former ADC House of Assembly candidate for Unguwan Sanusi Constituency, Ibrahim Khalil Dan Kasa, said the decision followed extensive consultations across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Dan Kasa claimed that the defection involved more than 2,000 ward coordinators, former candidates, aspirants, youth mobilisers and party executives across Kaduna State.
He attributed their decision to alleged internal divisions, marginalisation of members, denial of party tickets to their preferred aspirants and the absence of a clear policy direction within the ADC.
The defectors also accused the leadership of the El-Rufai Youth Movement of failing to protect members against alleged mistreatment and neglect.
According to Dan Kasa, their dissatisfaction deepened following the party’s candidate selection process, particularly the alleged refusal to consider candidates recommended by El-Rufai for the Kawo and Doka Gabasawa State Assembly constituencies.
He further alleged that despite supporting Ashiru’s political campaign for seven months, the group had yet to see a clear manifesto or policy blueprint explaining how the ADC governorship candidate intended to address Kaduna’s challenges.
Dan Kasa also accused some members of Ashiru’s campaign team of disparaging El-Rufai’s political legacy despite relying on his supporters for mobilisation and campaign activities.
He said grassroots members and coordinators were equally abandoned without adequate logistics, security and welfare support.
Explaining their decision to embrace Governor Sani, the former ADC candidate 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 involve young people in governance.
“Politics without tangible governance is meaningless noise,” Dan Kasa said, adding that the group considered Sani’s administration more focused on development and political inclusiveness.
He, however, maintained that their respect for El-Rufai remained intact, stressing that personal loyalty would not prevent them from making independent political decisions.
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 networks in support of Sani’s administration and what they described as the continued progress and stability of Kaduna State.
However, the spokesperson for the ADC governorship candidate, Isah Ashiru, Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi, dismissed the significance of the defection, describing it as part of the normal political process.
Adubi said the party had continued to receive new members, including people defecting from other political parties, at its state and campaign offices.
He said the departure of a faction of the El-Rufai support group would not discourage the party or its governorship candidate.
“If one individual or a group of people decides to move from one political party to another, it is part of politics. We have more people defecting to the ADC, and we receive them at the state and campaign offices,” he said.
Adubi maintained that the ADC remained firmly rooted in Kaduna State, expressing confidence in the party’s political presence in the state.
The spokesperson’s reaction came amid the defection of the former ADC candidates and youth mobilisers, who accused the party of marginalising their members and failing to provide a clear direction ahead of the 2027 governorship election
