Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, has asserted that the defection of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is good riddance.

El-Rufai has officially resigned from the APC and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing irreconcilable differences with the ruling party’s leadership.

In a resignation letter submitted to his ward in Kaduna State on Monday, El-Rufai expressed disappointment with the APC’s trajectory in recent years.

In an interview on Channels Television Politics Today on Monday, March 10, 2025, Shehu Sani argued that El-Rufai’s resignation was necessary, as his leadership had weakened the APC’s influence in Kaduna State over the years.

According to him, El-Rufai’s exit is an opportunity for the state Governor, Uba Sani and APC leaders to embrace the people of the state and reset the party towards the next election.

He said, “For those of us from Kaduna state, it is a good riddance, because he stands as a liability to the party in the state and I can back this with facts. In 2015, APC had two senators; by 2023, all the senatorial zones were taken over by PDP. And out of the 14 House of Representatives seats in Kaduna state, under Nasiru, almost 9 of the seats were won by the PDP, 2 by LP, and then 3 by APC. With him as the governor, the APC also lost the presidential election in the state.

“You can see that by the time he left, the party was an unpopular platform in the state, so his exit is an opportunity for the governor and party leaders of the state to embrace the people of the state and reconfigure and reset the party towards the next election.”