UPDATED: Crisis erupts in SDP as new member El-Rufai mobilizes supporters to eject National Secretary

A group of protesters supporting Nasir El-Rufai, the former Kaduna State Governor, stormed the national headquarters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abuja, demanding the removal of the party’s national secretary, Olu Agunloye.

Agunloye: Not in El-Rufai’s good books

The protesters, holding placards, accused Agunloye of mismanaging the party and called on him to either clear his name regarding his fraud case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or step down.

Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, is currently facing trial by the EFCC over allegations of fraudulent contract awards and official corruption.

One of the charges filed by the EFCC accuses Agunloye and Leno Adesanya, who remains at large, of forging a document dated May 22, 2003, which allegedly caused the Federal Government of Nigeria to enter into a contract with Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited (SPTCL).

The protesters’ action is seen as a fallout of El-Rufai’s recent defection to the SDP from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

El-Rufai officially resigned from the APC on Monday and announced his move to the SDP, directing his political allies and supporters to join him in the new party.

Meanwhile, Adewole Adebayo, the SDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, has described El-Rufai as an asset with a strong record of public service.

Adebayo acknowledged El-Rufai’s strengths but noted that he also has some weaknesses to address.

The EFCC’s case against Agunloye is connected to a contract awarded by Agunloye while serving as a minister, just a day after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had instructed him to withdraw the memo.

Sunrise Power is seeking $2.3 billion in compensation from Nigeria through arbitration at the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris over the government’s failure to honor the contract.

Diaspora Digital Media had earlier reported that Agunloye had accused El-Rufai of plotting his removal from office.

Agunloye forwarded a petition to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to that effect.

For Diaspora Digital Media Updates click on Whatsapp, or Telegram. For eyewitness accounts/ reports/ articles, write to: citizenreports@diasporadigitalmedia.com. Follow us on X (Fomerly Twitter) or Facebook