El-Rufai’s defection: No politician who jumps between parties has ever become president, says Omokri

• Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has argued that no Nigerian politician who frequently changes parties has ever been elected president
• Citing historical examples, Omokri said that past leaders, including Tafawa Balewa and Goodluck Jonathan, remained loyal to a single party
• The social commentator who spoke amid El-Rufai’s defection from the APC to the SDP warned that constant defections contribute to political instability

Former presidential aide Reno Omokri has opined that no politician who frequently switches parties has ever become Nigeria’s president.

Omokri said this in a post on X on Tuesday, March 11, amid the defection of former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Omokri speaks on importance of political stability

Omokri, a social commentator and former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, further argued that Nigeria’s diverse political landscape requires consistency in party affiliation.

“Nigeria is a very diverse country, and this can cause tensions. Only a politically stable person can stabilise the nation,” he posted.

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Omokri cites historical precedents

Citing historical examples, Omokri noted that past civilian presidents, including Tafawa Balewa, Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan, maintained allegiance to a single political party.

He contrasted this with President Muhammadu Buhari, who transitioned from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to founding the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which later merged into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Similarly, he noted that President Bola Tinubu was a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), which evolved into the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before merging into the APC.

Defections lead to instability, says Omokri

Omokri warned that politicians who jump between parties foster political instability, making governance more challenging.

The best predictor of the future is the past. Those who jump from party to party cannot bring stability. They can only bring apathy and anarchy,” he added

“SDP died in 1993”: Reno Omokri mocks El-Rufai

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Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Omokri shaded El-Rufai for dumping the ruling APC for the SDP ahead of 2027.

Omokri, who recently became President Bola Tinubu’s policy campaigner, especially on social media, explained that no one should lose sleep about the defection of the former governor, adding that the SDP had died since the 1993 presidential election and would be buried in 2027.

The former presidential aide recalled that when El-Rufai was the governor of Kaduna, the APC lost the presidential election, the three senatorial districts and 10 out of the 16 House of Representatives seats in the state to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), implying that the former governor has lost political influence.

Source: Legit.ng