Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that Nigeria’s emerging opposition coalition is capable of unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, even without the support of state governors.
El-Rufai, who recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the Social Democratic Party, made this assertion during a media chat with journalists in Kano State on Monday. He argued that the coalition’s strategy is anchored on mobilising the masses rather than relying on political elites.
“President Tinubu can gather all the governors, but if the people of Nigeria say they are not with you, it is over,” El-Rufai said.
“We are trying to offer Nigerians a real alternative — something different from what they have seen before,” he stated.
“A governor has only one vote. Nigerians have many more votes than one governor or even 36 governors combined,” he added, stressing the movement’s grassroots orientation.
The former governor’s comments follow a series of recent high-level engagements between opposition figures, including a notable visit by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and others to former President Muhammadu Buhari, which fuelled speculation of a possible alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party. However, PDP governors have since distanced themselves from any planned coalition or merger.
After a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum held in Ibadan, attended by acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum and several state governors, the party leadership publicly rejected merger discussions ahead of the 2027 elections.
But El-Rufai insisted that the success of the opposition coalition does not depend on governors.
“The fact that one governor from the PDP has defected means nothing. We are not counting on governors to win elections. We are counting on the people,” he said.
He referenced the 2023 general elections to buttress his point. “The president had a sitting governor in Lagos — and still lost Lagos. So, what is the real value of a governor?” he asked.
Sharing his personal experience, he said: “I was the governor of Kaduna State. I fought hard to deliver President Tinubu in my state, but I lost. That taught me a hard lesson — that elections are ultimately decided by the people, not by political figures.”
El-Rufai also addressed ongoing speculation surrounding potential presidential aspirants like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. He clarified that the coalition’s priority is building a solid platform before choosing candidates.
“Our focus now is not on selecting candidates. It is on building the platform first,” he said.
“We have told all those with presidential aspirations: put aside your ambitions for now. Join us as equal members and help us build a credible alternative,” he added.
He emphasised that if opposition figures eventually rally under the SDP, a discussion on candidates would follow. “If and when all opposition groups come under the SDP, we will have that conversation. But for now, we must work together to build something Nigerians can trust.”
El-Rufai dismissed regional sentiments, insisting that Nigeria’s current predicament requires a solution-driven approach, not ethnic or sectional considerations.
“I no longer care where the president comes from. I want a candidate who can offer real solutions to Nigeria’s problems and excite Nigerians enough to come out and vote,” he stated.
He warned that the country was facing an unprecedented crisis that demanded unity and collective purpose. “We are facing an existential crisis. It is not about North or South anymore. It is about survival, unity, and progress. Whoever can deliver that — wherever they come from — will have my support.”
Responding to PDP governors’ opposition to merger talks, El-Rufai reiterated that a merger with the PDP was never part of their plan.
“From the beginning, our intention was never to merge with the PDP. We have been very clear about that,” he said.
“The PDP is a spent force. It is a party targeted for destruction, and, frankly, it has almost succeeded.”
He said the coalition aims to build a new political structure that inspires confidence rather than rehabilitate already weakened parties.
“We are not looking at political parties that are already ravaged by internal conflicts. We are building something fresh, something that will inspire hope,” he said.
“When Nigerians look at the faces involved, they will hopefully say: ‘Yes, maybe this time it will be different.’ That is the goal, and it is ongoing.”
El-Rufai also disclosed the reason behind the coalition’s decision to adopt the SDP as its political platform, saying it was a strategic move after evaluating the legal and operational strength of existing parties.
“Our objective is not to merge political parties. We have been through that before, and we know how long and complicated that process is,” he explained.
He said the coalition settled on the SDP because it had the highest chance of surviving deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“As you know, INEC now has the power to deregister parties without any elected member at the state Assembly level. We assessed the ones that cannot be deregistered and concluded that the SDP ranked highest. It has pedigree, it has history — but it still needs building,” he said.
Describing the process of establishing a viable party structure, El-Rufai emphasised that the task ahead is demanding.
“Forming a party is easy. Building a party — registering members, holding congresses, building leadership from the polling unit to the national level — is the real work,” he stated.
He concluded by promising that the coalition would prioritise internal democracy and resist the influence of political godfathers.
“What destroyed previous parties in Nigeria is a lack of internal democracy and the stranglehold of godfathers. We want to eliminate that,” he said.
“The APC started with hope, but it became controlled by one or two people. We want a party that no one owns, where everyone has a voice.”
