A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has said President Bola Tinubu is the owner of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which former governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, just defected to.

Igbokwe also recalled that Tinubu contested a senatorial seat on the platform of the SDP in 1993.

He added, "If indeed SDP is still alive and kicking in Nigeria then know the truth and have inner peace: PBAT is the owner. Ignore him to your own peril. I remember our SDP of 1993 and the late Chief MKO Abiola."

However, El-Rufai who dumped the APC for the SDP, stated on Monday that he's now focused on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join the party and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections between now and 2027.

Citing reasons for dumping the APC, he said, “Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party.

“At this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish.”

ASA