The Social Democratic Party, SDP, has disowned an alleged illegal gathering tagged the “SDP Political Conference Summit” slated in Owerri.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, describes the event as the handiwork of renegades bent on misleading members into aligning with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition agenda, allegedly championed by Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.
Aiyenigba stresses that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the SDP had long clarified that Mallam El-Rufai and his associates were expelled from the party and therefore lacked the authority to speak or act on its behalf.
“In fact, Mallam El-Rufai has been banished from the party for thirty years, in line with the provisions of the SDP Constitution 2022 (as amended),” he said.
The statement urges its members, particularly in Imo State and the South-East region, to disregard the purported “SDP Political Conference Summit,” describing it as an unauthorized gathering designed to mislead the public about the party’s position on the ADC coalition.
According to the statement, Aiyenigba further emphasizes that the SDP has no affiliation with the ADC, but is instead focused on strengthening its structures at both the state and national levels.
The statement reaffirms the party’s commitment to its founding ideology and manifesto, positioning itself as a credible alternative for Nigeria’s political and socio-economic renewal.
It adds that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant security agencies had been duly notified about the illegitimacy of El-Rufai and his associates’ activities as they relate to the SDP.
“The party urges the public to be vigilant and not fall prey to deceptive tactics aimed at confusing our members and the general public,” the statement concluded
