CLAIMS that Nasir El-Rufai, a former Governor of Kaduna State and key figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC), has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been circulating online, particularly on X.
The message claims El-Rufai received his PDP membership card at his polling unit in Sarki, Kaduna, portraying the alleged defection as a significant political development in the state.
El-Rufai, a prominent supporter of the current Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was elected in the 2023 general elections, was previously shortlisted for a ministerial position by Tinubu but was ultimately disqualified during the Nigerian Senate screening process.
READ: Fact-checking multiple claims by El-Rufai at ministerial screening
The claim can be sighted here, and here
Due to El-Rufai’s substantial political clout in Kaduna State and across Nigeria, the claim has drawn considerable attention and sparked questions about its credibility, hence The FactCheckHub decided to examine the veracity of this claim.
CLAIM
Nasir El-Rufai has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE!
A Google search conducted using the keywords “El Rufai Decamps” found no credible evidence from any reputable media outlets or verified sources to support the claim that Malam Nasir El-Rufai has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Rather, it led our fact-checker to a post made by El-Rufai debunking the claim on his X handle. He dismissed the report as a “hoax” and urged the public to ignore the viral rumors.
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The post (also archived here) read:
“Please disregard the patent lies and rumours about my political affiliation. I have referred the lead peddlers of the fake news for further action by my lawyers.”
Credible media houses such as The Sun, and Channels TV also debunked the claim.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Nasir El-Rufai has defected to PDP is FALSE; as there were no credible media reports concerning the issue. Similarly, the former Kaduna governor and media reports also debunked the claim.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or [email protected].
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