In a significant political development, former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Chief Security Officer to late General Sani Abacha, Hamza Al-Mustapha, Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, and prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Segun Sowunmi, convened a strategic meeting on Tuesday to assess the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.
The meeting, which was aimed at discussing the future direction of the opposition, was described by Sowunmi in a post on X: “You must set forth at Dawn, a strategic meeting called by HE Shehu Gabam, Chairman of SDP, with HE @elrufai, El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Otunba Segun Sowunmi. The alternative, to meet and greet and review the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.”
This strategic discussion comes in the wake of widespread rumors suggesting that El-Rufai might defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP. However, El-Rufai dismissed these speculations, labeling them as falsehoods and indicating that he had referred those responsible for spreading the rumors to his legal team for further action.
In a public statement, El-Rufai stated: “Please disregard the patent lies and rumours about my political affiliation.” The former governor had earlier dismissed similar rumors ahead of the 2023 general elections, when presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala claimed El-Rufai would join the PDP. El-Rufai had responded at the time, saying: “Thanks @BwalaDaniel but no, thanks. Never ever, not even my corpse will be found in the vicinity of your newfound political party. I still dey laugh.”
The meeting marks a critical moment in Nigeria’s political landscape, highlighting the ongoing dialogue among key opposition leaders about the future of democracy and the role of opposition parties in shaping the nation’s governance.
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