El-Rufai and Atiku’s associates meet behind closed doors with SDP in Abuja

Several notable opposition leaders held a private meeting with officials of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abuja on Tuesday.

The purpose of the meeting had not been disclosed at the time of this report.

The meeting, which took place at the SDP’s national secretariat on Tuesday morning, was attended by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (former Chief Security Officer to General Sani Abacha), Otunba Segun Showunmi (a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar), and other prominent figures.

Confirming the gathering, Showunmi announced the event on his Facebook page. He wrote: “You must set forth at dawn! A strategic meeting was convened by HE Shehu Gabam, Chairman of SDP, with HE Nasir El-Rufai, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, and Otunba Segun Showunmi. It was an opportunity to meet, greet, and evaluate the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.”

This meeting follows El-Rufai’s rejection of rumors suggesting he had left the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Responding to the speculations on his verified X account, El-Rufai called the claims “patent lies” and urged Nigerians to dismiss them. He further stated that he had directed his legal team to take action against those spreading the misinformation.
“Please ignore the patent lies and rumors about my political affiliation. My lawyers have been instructed to address the lead purveyors of this fake news,” El-Rufai posted on Sunday.

A close associate of El-Rufai, speaking anonymously, also dismissed the allegations, describing them as baseless rumors spread by mischief-makers. The associate emphasized that El-Rufai, a prominent APC member, would have publicly announced any decision to leave the party.