NASARAWA SDP GAINS MOMENTUM AS FORMER DEPUTY IGP, OTHERS DEFECT TO PARTY

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Nasarawa State has recorded a fresh wave of defections as prominent political figures and former public officials have joined the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Among those reported to have defected is retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Ari, who previously aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC). His movement to the SDP comes amid growing political realignments in the state following the emergence of former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, as the SDP’s governorship candidate.

The development is part of a wider movement of APC members and political appointees who have recently left the ruling party for the SDP. The defectors are expected to strengthen the party’s organisational structure and expand its presence across Nasarawa State ahead of the 2027 elections.  

Adamu, who served as Inspector-General of Police from 2019 to 2021, left the APC after losing its governorship primary in Nasarawa and subsequently joined the SDP. He later emerged as the party’s governorship candidate through a fresh primary after the withdrawal of its earlier candidate, Musa Angbazo.  

The latest defections have also generated reactions from the APC. Yakubu Kwanta, chairman of the APC governorship campaign for Senator Aliyu Wadada, described the defectors as individuals who had supported Adamu’s political ambition, while defending the strength of the ruling party in the state.  

With political parties intensifying preparations for the 2027 elections, the movement of prominent figures between parties is reshaping the political landscape in Nasarawa, although the eventual electoral impact of the defections remains to be determined.