El-Rufai Picks ADC Membership card, Vows to Dislodge APC

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has officially joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), signaling a major realignment in Nigerian opposition politics and a clear challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

El-Rufai completed his registration on Thursday at his Unguwar Sarki ward in Kaduna, pledging to use the ADC platform to confront what he described as incompetent leadership in the state.

“I’m a bona fide member of the African Democratic Congress,” El-Rufai announced before party officials, including the ADC Vice Chairman (North West) Hon. Jafaru Sani, and National Membership Secretary, Senator Sadiq Yar’adua.

The registration itself carried symbolic weight: El-Rufai received membership number 000002, following the coalition Vice National Chairman North West who was assigned 000001, who was the first to register amongst all of them in the state.

El-Rufai had left the ADC in March 2025 to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), hoping it would become the coalition’s rallying platform. But negotiations with the SDP faltered amid interference, which El-Rufai described as government-led.

“The SDP would not accept to open up to the coalition leadership because the government has bribed and compromised some of the leaders,” he explained.

He said with the SDP avenue closed, the ADC agreed to adopt the coalition platform on July 2, providing a new political home for the opposition bloc.

“Happily, the ADC agreed to the terms and conditions of the coalition leadership,” El-Rufai said, emphasizing that all pending by-elections and local contests, which had delayed his full commitment, had now concluded.

Senator Yar’adua personally oversaw El-Rufai’s registration, as part of a broader campaign to enroll coalition leaders into the ADC.

El-Rufai thanked organizers for arranging the event at short notice: “I was informed at 6pm yesterday to be here at 4 o’clock. And I managed to get here.”

Turning to the political stakes, El-Rufai vowed to challenge APC leadership in Kaduna State, highlighting past successes and warning of accountability.

“I want to call on all citizens of Kaduna State of 18 years and above to come out en masse and register with the African Democratic Congress,” he said.

“By the grace of God we are going to repeat what we did in 2015, when we got rid of the incompetent, thieving, stealing and corrupt PDP administration.”

He accused the current APC-led government in Kaduna of failing to deliver and acting with impunity.

“We contributed in bringing them into office. We therefore have a duty to contribute in sending them back home before they go to prison,” El-Rufai declared.

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