•Nasir El-Rufai
From the Forum of State Chairmen of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) came yesterday a directive to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and other opposition leaders planning to join the party: follow due process.
The chairmen said that new members can only be admitted from their wards, reports The Nation.
Arising from an inaugural meeting of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chairmen in Abuja yesterday, the forum said there will be no sacred or preferential treatment for new joiners.
Last month former Kaduna State governor, Mal. Nasir El-Rufai through his X handle announced his membership of the SDP, a move the Kaduna State chapter of the party disowned.
The party stated that he is not a recognised member .
Its Assistant National Secretary (North West) , Idris Inuwa, at a news conference said El-Rufai’s entry into the party remained a rumour as he was yet to follow due process.
Welcoming new members after its meeting, the Chairman of the forum and Lagos State Chairman, Femi Olaniyi said the forum resolved to welcome the influx of new members, including prominent politicians from across the country but gave conditions to be fulfilled .
Outlining the conditions, Olaniyi said: “New members will be admitted and registered through the party’s internal structures, led by the Chairmen”,” adding that “new members cannot admit or register themselves as members of the party.”
On the ongoing moves by some opposition elements to join the party ahead of 2027, the SDP sub-national leaders warned that “democratically elected structures of the SDP at the state and National levels must not be truncated or dissolved to appease new joiners or at the whims of any individuals or interests. Elected officials should be allowed to serve out their terms.
Admitting that the merger talks with the party may warrant some structural adjustments to accommodate new members, the state chairmen warned that fundamental issues such as changes to the party’s name, logo, insignia, slogan, or any drastic alterations to the party’s Constitution or Manifesto must not be undertaken lightly.
According to them, such issues and changes should be thoroughly discussed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party before any action is taken.
The state chairmen also demanded that consultative and democratic cultures of the party must be maintained and engaged in all decision-making.
This, they argued was “to ensure that the party is open to all Nigerians fairly and transparently and equitably for all legitimate aspirations without subsuming the SDP under the ambitions of individuals, sections or groupings or parochial interests.”
Asked if not threatened of a possible hijack by the opposition heavyweights coming into the party, Olaniyi said the forum is more concerned about certain impostors creating chaos in the party.
“We are not afraid anybody will hijack our party. We are welcoming the influence of new members into the party. But we don’t want those manipulators, especially from APC, PDP or Labour Party, to do a kangaroo registration for them.
“We acknowledge that some structural adjustment may be necessary. So we are going to harmonize and see how we can go about it. If you are bringing 30,000 people to my 40,000 structure, I cannot expect to have the chairman and secretary.
“But we must go with it in a very rightful manner and allow the internal mechanism to decide the situation.”
The forum passed vote of confidence in the Shehu Musa Gabam-led National Working Committee (NWC). They also hailed members nationwide for their outstanding efforts in building and positively repositioning the party.
