Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, claims that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi are in discussions to join the SDP.
Adebayo revealed this in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, April 6, 2025, stating that several politicians, including Atiku and Obi, are set to join the SDP ahead of the 2027 general election.
This development comes after Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The former presidential candidate said: “People are joining my party, and we are welcoming them. You can see how active I am in welcoming them. The only little issue we have with some of them is to change the culture where if you have not been in an environment where rules are taken seriously.
“Some of them are doing some Boy Scouts, black market operations, we are dealing with that. But we welcome them into the party. All these people you have mentioned, El-Rufai, Atiku Abubakar, and former Governor Peter Obi, are coming. A lot of people are coming, and we will welcome them.”
When asked if Obi is joining the SDP, Adebayo stated that while nothing is official until someone joins, he has been informed that talks are underway and everyone is welcome.
“If we conduct ourselves in an orderly fashion, follow the rules, and allow a transparent and fair process to unfold, without any cheating or criminality, just as we did in our 2022 convention, we will earn the respect and applause of the people, free from controversy, court cases, or allegations”.
Adebayo further expressed optimism that the SDP will defeat the ruling APC in the 2027 election, saying: “If they can stick to our culture and follow the way we do in the SDP and produce a good alternative to Nigerians, we are going to manifestly defeat the APC and retire President Tinubu to Lagos or wherever he chooses in Nigeria.”
