A group within the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Integrity Group, has warned the leadership of the party against any attempt to impose former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufai, as the new leader of the party following his detection from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a letter of warning addressed to the National Working Committee (NWC), the SDP Integrity Group raised concerns over a purported plot to change the leadership of the party and make El-Rufai its leader, and urged it leaders to uphold the party’s values and remain accountable to the party’s broader membership rather than to any individual seeking political relevance.
The statement signed by the Integrity Group National Coordinator, Abdullahi Muhammad Saleh, and Secretary, James Allen Ettah, condemned a recent press release from the SDP national secretariat, which they said wrongly portrayed El-Rufai, who recently joined the party, as its new leader.
They described the move as “mendacious, preposterous, and a big slap on the faces of our noble and respected leaders” who have worked tirelessly to build the party over the past three years.
“Whatever inducement or agenda that informed that unwholesome game is dead on arrival, as the majority of the party members across the country who stand for integrity will not fold their hands and watch the SDP to be turned into a tool for personal aggrandisement, or for it to be used to wage a self-serving war of attrition, rather than strengthening it as a credible alternative platform to reclaim Nigeria and to serve as a formidable vehicle to take Nigeria to the promised land,” the group said.
“The SDP is not a place where anyone haunted by their past will find a safe haven to shield them from justice. The party, as a tradition, does not interfere in any corruption charges or investigations involving its members.
“We are poised to mobilize like-minded members across the party structures to reject and resist any deliberate attempt to manipulate Mallam El-Rufai to national relevance as leader of the SDP.”
While welcoming El-Rufai and other new members to the party, the group maintained that the SDP must remain focused on strengthening itself as a credible opposition platform, but however warned against any attempt to impose a transactional orientation that could compromise the party’s integrity and credibility.
Noting that the SDP as a party would not serve as a refuge for individuals seeking to escape accountability for past misdeeds, the group expressed concerns about individuals with controversial pasts joining the party, stating that the SDP is not a safe haven for those seeking to evade justice.
Addressing El-Rufai directly, the Integrity Group warned him to respect the party’s established culture and discipline or risk a short-lived stay in the SDP.
“If he fails to respect the noble traditions of the political family he has newly joined, his marriage with the SDP may be short-lived,” the statement added.
“The SDP is not for sale. We will continue to organize and work to protect and promote the founding ideology of the party,” the statement concluded.
