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Gabam clears air on El-Rufai’s alleged move to SDP

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Shehu Gabam, has stated that there has been no official communication regarding former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, or allies of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar joining the party.

Gabam’s remark comes after El-Rufai, Segun Sowunmi, and Hamza Al-Mustapha held a strategic meeting to review the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.

The closed-door meeting was held at the SDP’s Secretariat in Abuja.

Speaking about the meeting, Gabam said he was open to conversations centered around a better Nigeria.

Addressing journalists, he said: “There is no official statement from El-Rufai or any one of them about officially joining the SDP. As I said, they are open to conversation and negotiations for a better Nigeria. It’s not about a political party; it’s about the future of Nigeria.

“We are looking for like-minded people who believe in the future of the country so that we can work together and uplift the individual standard of Nigeria.

“It’s not just them. The attention of the media only went to them. I have received a lot of dignitaries from different political parties in the office, discussing the way forward, how to stabilize the country, and how to offer productive, progressive advice to this government so that there will not be a crisis.

“Because once the government has a crisis, it affects every Nigerian. So, part of our responsibilities is to make sure we are not facing a crisis.

“There is an ongoing conversation. When the time comes, we will arrive at a conclusion, and we will hold an official press conference.

“Once we agree on what we are going to do together, we will unveil it to all Nigerians. But at the preliminary stage, we are having our own social gatherings and discussing national issues.

“So, principally, that’s what we are doing. More like-minded people are already on board. So today, there are other heavyweights involved, with whom we are discussing.”

Lately, there have been claims of El-Rufai dumping the APC for the PDP.

Reacting, the former governor urged the public to disregard the rumor and lies about his political affiliation.

Posting on X, El-Rufai wrote: “Please disregard the patent lies and rumors about my political affiliation. I have referred the lead peddlers of the fake news for further action by my lawyers.”

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Politics

I won’t go on exile despite being told I’ll be arrested – El-Rufai

A former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has said that he has heard about his possible arrest.

A leader in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who was denied ministerial clearance by the Senate in 2023 on failure to pass security screening, has been locked in a war of words with some members of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

The spat intensified after el-Rufai criticised the APC for ‘straying from its core values’.

In a post on X on Tuesday, El-Rufai, who served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 17 July 2003 to 27 July 2007, said his adversaries intended to force him out of the country.

Responding to a post from X user, Imran Wakili on the alleged plot to arrest and detain him, El-Rufai, who disclosed that he is currently in Egypt, said he would return to the country before 20 February.

He wrote: ‘I will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before.

‘They have sent such similar messages of intimidation and threats through many of my friends, family and political associates because they want me to go on self-imposed exile.
‘I have now put all my previous academic and language-learning plans on hold. Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option.
‘The arrest, detention and torture of perceived political enemies are nothing new in human affairs. I have been arrested and detained thrice in the past for expressing my views of previous governments.

‘There is always a morning after the arrest or detention or torture, and political life continues. As for death, it is when Allah destines it, and it is ultimately the date of every human.

‘For the attention of the pathetic characters that don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of Pres IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for 20th February.

‘We depend on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah. We always hope for the best but plan for the worst’.
El-Rufai has since become an ardent critic of the APC government of President Bola Tinubu government

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Another PDP lawmaker defects to APC

Amos Gwamna Magaji, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Magaji, who represents the Jaba/Zango Kataf Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, attributed his decision to unresolved crises within the PDP at both the national and local levels.

Magaji, a two-term lawmaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Health Care Services, is also the Kaduna caucus leader in the House of Representatives. He serves as Deputy Chairman of the House Special Ad-hoc Committee on the Restructuring of Government Agencies and Commissions, which is reviewing the Stephen Oronsaye report. Additionally, he has been a member of several House committees, including Defense, Reformation Institutions, Rules & Business, Christian Pilgrimage, Police Affairs, FCT Area Councils, and Constitution Review.

Magaji’s defection makes him the third PDP member to cross over to the APC since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly, following Chris Nkwonta and Eriatheke Ibori-Suenu.

However, Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda objected to Magaji’s defection and called on the Speaker to declare his seat vacant. Citing Section 68(1g) of the Constitution, Chinda argued that while lawmakers are permitted to leave the platform on which they were elected, the law stipulates consequences, including the loss of their seat.

Chinda emphasized, “Members of the House are lawmakers, not lawbreakers. The lawmaker has not complied with the provisions of the law and should therefore be made to lose his seat.”

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Politics

Kenneth Okonkwo resigns from Labour Party over leadership crises

Former Labour Party, LP, Presidential Campaign Council, spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, has officially resigned from the party.

Okonkwo said his resignation from the party will take effect from February 25, 2025.

In a statement he issued, the Nollywood veteran said LP has been impacted by ongoing internal conflicts and challenges in leadership.

He vowed to join other well-meaning Nigerians to chart a way forward for the country in the area of governance.

The statement reads: “My entrance to politics is for good governance, and I will continue to work for it to ensure that Nigeria becomes a great country of incorruptible men. This aim can no longer be realised within Labour Party as presently constituted.

“This resignation takes effect from the 25th of February, 2025, which marks the second anniversary of the presidential election of 2023, after which I will be at liberty to join other well-meaning, and like minded Nigerians in charting a great future of good governance for this great country blessed by God.”

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