The former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, has stated that he believes the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is a credible political party capable of providing an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and moving away from the “E mi lokan” political syndrome of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking on Monday in Kano, Malam El-Rufai said, “We’re not trying to bring political parties under one roof.”
According to him, “We don’t want a merger. It’s not a merger of political parties. We’ve been through that. We know how long it took to form an alliance of political parties.”
He further stated, “There are members of the PDP that have been ousted out of the party. There are members of the APC that are equally sidelined in the party, and then there are other smaller political parties that contested the last election, did very badly or did very well.”
He added, “Our objective really is to get these different groups to agree to come under one existing political party.
“And one of the reasons why I joined the SDP is because we have undertaken a detailed evaluation of the nine or ten political parties that will qualify to exist after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does its review of political parties.
“And I believe very strongly that the SDP provides the potential to recreate a major political party.”
He hinted, “But with the support of some of the opposition groups, we will not get all. But most importantly, the people of Nigeria need a credible alternative.
“I use the phrase ‘credible alternative’ very, very carefully because PDP has run the country for 16 years. Nigerians know what it is, even though it’s a long time. Many may have forgotten.
“APC has run the country for 10 years. And most people want something different. Most people want a new brand of politics, a new style of governance, and new faces.
“And I believe that the SDP can be the party that gives that alternative to Nigerians, a party that is not controlled by anyone, that is not pocketed by anyone, a party that will provide a level playing field to any person who wants to aspire for leadership, either in the party or in the government.
“The APC started well but has ended up being pocketed by one or two people. We want to avoid that. So we want a party that no one owns, that no one controls.
“And the SDP has that pedigree and history. And if all the major opposition groups go into that party as equal partners and invite Nigerians that want real change to join the party, and we have different rules of engagement—no godfathers, no impositions, competition for every position—
“I think we will give Nigerians an opportunity to join a party that they can claim is their own, not somebody’s own.
“And I want to make it very clear, right from the beginning of this journey, our conception was not to have PDP merge with PDP or anything.
“PDP as a party is a spent force. It has been targeted for destruction, and it has almost succeeded. The APC has been pocketed.”
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