The Vice Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 election, Yusuf Buhari, alongside the party’s Kano State governorship candidate, Bala Gwagwarawa, and their supporters, have officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defection, which took place on Tuesday, was facilitated by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin.
The defectors were formally received in Abuja by Barau, the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Among those who joined Buhari and Gwagwarawa in switching allegiance were 38 SDP local government chairmen and secretaries, 13 House of Assembly candidates, six House of Representatives candidates, and members of the party’s State Working Committee.
The move comes just a week after former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, left the APC for the SDP.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, Barau dismissed any speculation that the SDP could challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, declaring that such a plan was “dead on arrival.”
“Those who have been moving around the country, trying to woo people to the SDP, and thinking their effort will give birth to a platform that will challenge the APC in the next election, their idea has been confirmed dead on arrival.
“People have rejected that invitation. The former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, and others who have been mentioned have also said no. To add salt to an injury, those in the SDP are now moving to the APC.
“Today, the vice presidential candidate, the governorship candidate in Kano State, and other heavyweights in the SDP have joined the APC,” he said.
Ganduje, represented by APC National Vice Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu, welcomed the new members, assuring them of equal opportunities within the party.
Describing the defection as a transition from “darkness to light,” Ganduje emphasized APC’s commitment to inclusivity under Tinubu’s leadership.
“APC is a party of inclusion, where every member enjoys equal rights to contest elections and contribute to nation-building,” he stated.
Former Kano State Governor, Senator Kabiru Gaya, also dismissed any potential threat from the SDP, asserting that the party had lost its influence.
“The party is dead because its Vice Presidential Candidate is here, the Governorship Candidate is also here, just as its other stakeholders.
“So I’m sure today we are celebrating the burial of that party.
“I will say kudos to the Deputy Senate President for your effort to bring these important and heavyweight politicians to our party,” he remarked.
Speaking on their decision, Buhari said they were influenced by the achievements of Tinubu’s administration.
“When this government came into power under Asiwaju, there were a lot of problems on the ground. Even though we know that the former administration has done a lot, there are still a lot of problems on the ground.
“Amongst them was the issue of insecurity. The subsidy regime has gone upside down. And because of that, President Bola Tinubu had to instil very strong and painful economic reforms. Whenever you try to come up with reforms, there have to be pains.
“But after two years, we are beginning to see the economic policies yielding fruits. The foreign exchange is beginning to stabilize. Prices of goods are coming down. Insecurity is being addressed by our military, by our brave armed forces,” he explained.
On his part, Gwagwarawa said he and his supporters felt the need to return to their former party, citing the APC-led government’s performance over the past 18 months.
“I am part and parcel of the founders of APC. Today, we decided to come back to APC because now the country is being governed by someone who knows politics and the terrain of democracy.
“We are talking about someone who stood for democracy and believes in working hard to make this country better. That is His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he stated.
