Shehu Gabam, the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has interpreted the recent visit of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja as a reflection of evolving dynamics and changing interests in the political landscape.
El-Rufai’s unexpected visit to the SDP’s headquarters stirred speculation and sparked intense political discussions, particularly within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Gabam addressed the significance of El-Rufai’s visit during an interview on TVC’s “Politics on Sunday” program.
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Gabam clarified that El-Rufai’s visit was based on their personal relationship and not necessarily indicative of any specific political agenda or alignment with the SDP.
He dismissed speculations raised by former spokesman to Atiku, Mr. Daniel Bwala, emphasizing the visit’s personal nature rather than its broader implications for the party.
The encounter between El-Rufai and the SDP has generated curiosity and discussion among political observers, underscoring the fluid nature of Nigerian politics and the potential for unexpected alliances to emerge.
Gabam said: “Sometimes, when you hear some of these debates in public space, you wonder where the brouhaha is coming from. What is the genesis of it? First and foremost, my relationship with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai predates 1999.
”I knew him long before then. We have been close and come to the SDP secretariat, I don’t know why it is so special that people seek to misinterpret or interpret the way it suits them.
“I’m not worried about Bwala’s tweet because he is very, very close to me. At one point, he ran for the seat of the House of Reps under SDP. And when he was the spokesman of Atiku, we always communicated and we always shared some ideas.
”But, in this case, he has not called me to find out the veracity of what he’s trying to put out or otherwise. Therefore, I don’t want to comment on it.
“People need to understand that the dynamics are shifting, a lot of interests are keying again and, of course, that will not stop people from discussing. Some of us are career politicians, we did not jump from whatever it is into politics.
”We understand the difference between relationships and political interests. We value relationships more than political interests, political interests can shift but relationships remain.
“So, what we are trying to do is not to be like an ordinary, greedy politician who believes that if I have an issue with you and I visited you, and then I become his enemy, I wasn’t trained that way. I was trained as a well established politician who is open to a lot of conversations.”
