The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has firmly rejected calls to immediately reshuffle its leadership in light of recent defections by high-profile politicians.
Despite the influx of prominent figures, including former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, the party insists that leadership positions must be earned and will not be automatically granted to new members.
The SDP’s National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, made it clear that while the party welcomes new members, it will not rush into changing its leadership. “It will happen, but not now. Otherwise, you may have a convention every week or every month,” Agunloye stated.
El-Rufai, alongside other defectors such as former Senator Ahmad Kaita and former Kaduna State commissioners, joined the SDP following dissatisfaction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
These moves have sparked a scramble for leadership positions within the party, with some new joiners pushing for key roles in both state and national structures.
The Integrity Group of the SDP strongly rejected the idea of appointing El-Rufai as the party’s national leader, calling it “mendacious” and “preposterous.”
The group added, “A joiner of less than one week has become leader of the party,” calling attention to the swift rise of defectors within the SDP.
A former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the APC, Salihu Lukman, who is also joining the SDP, mentioned that defectors had requested a reshuffle of leadership positions.
“The issue we have is for them (SDP leadership) to open the party up and agree to produce new leadership that will reflect the new setup,” Lukman said.
However, Agunloye countered that most defectors had joined the party primarily for electoral success, not for leadership roles. “They joined because they wanted to win elections,” he explained.
He also warned that a mismanagement of the influx of new members could destabilize the party’s growth and electoral prospects.
SDP leaders across the country, including those in Kogi, Kwara, and Adamawa states, echoed Agunloye’s sentiment, stating that while the party remains open to new members, leadership changes will only be considered during the next congress.
“Our congress is coming early next year, around January or February. That’s when we will decide on leadership positions,” said Abubakar Dogara, the SDP’s National Vice Chairman for the North-Central zone.
The party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, reinforced the point, emphasizing that leadership positions are elective and cannot be changed simply because new members join. “Most party positions are elective.
When the tenures of elected officials come to an end and a new congress is held, new members can participate,” Adebayo said.
Despite the ongoing debates, the SDP maintains that the party’s internal structure remains intact and that leadership positions will follow democratic processes.
“The issue of congress is constitutional. The executives of the party were elected, and there is a statutory period for which they are supposed to stay in office,” said Nasir Dan-Bauchi, the SDP Secretary in Bauchi State.
As the party continues to grow, it is clear that the question of leadership will remain a central issue in the run-up to the 2027 elections.
But for now, the SDP is standing firm in its resolve to maintain a stable and democratic leadership structure.
