Senator Shehu Sani has taken a swipe at ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the move won't impact the fortunes of the party in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He commented after the immediate past governor of Kaduna State ditched the ruling party to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a move that has excited political commentators.

Sani, who was a former Senator in the state said El-Rufai's defection holds no political relevance.

“Well, first of all, for those of us from Kaduna State, it [his defection] is a good riddance because he stands as a liability to the party in the state,” the former Kaduna Central senator said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, citing the APC’s losses under El-Rufai.

The former FCT minister was a founding member of the ruling party. He was instrumental to APC’s victory in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 presidential elections. His relationship with the party, however, soured after he was not screened for a ministerial role.

But Sani, who recently returned to the APC, accused El-Rufai of destabilizing the party and believes his defection offers an opportunity for the APC to rebuild and come out stronger.

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

NBA