Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has formally joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking his first major political move since exiting the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier this year.
El-Rufai completed his registration and received his ADC membership card at the party’s U/Sarki Ward office in Kaduna State on Thursday.
The ex–Minister of the Federal Capital Territory arrived at the venue with a contingent of loyal supporters, including former aides and several local government chairmen.
El-Rufai quit the APC on March 10, stating that a growing mismatch between his principles and the party’s recent direction compelled his departure. In his resignation letter, he sharply criticised the APC leadership, saying the party had strayed from the progressive ideals it was initially built upon.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” he had stated.
He added that he had voiced concerns repeatedly—both privately and openly—about the direction of the party for two years, but his warnings were ignored.
El-Rufai, a key figure in the 2013 coalition that produced the APC, lamented that the party he helped shape had drifted from its original mission.