2027: El-Rufai urges Atiku, Obi, Aregbesola to join SDP

2027: El-Rufai urges Atiku, Obi, Aregbesola to join SDP

 Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, has
appealed to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, ex-presidential
candidate of the Labour Party (LP), to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

 

El-Rufai moved to the SDP from the All Progressives Congress
(APC) on March 10 over what he described as a divergence in values with the
ruling party.

 

“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no
desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to
acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party,” he had
said.

 

“On my part, I have raised concerns in private and, more
recently, in public regarding the capricious trajectory of the party.
Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion
that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive
values I cherish.”

 

In an interview published by BBC Hausa on Saturday, el-Rufai
dismissed talks of a merger and urged opposition leaders — including Rauf
Aregbesola, former governor of Osun, and Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of
Rivers — to join the SDP to unseat President Bola Tinubu.

 

“My wishes and prayers are Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi
Amaechi, Rauf, all opposition leaders to come and join SDP, not to do a merger
or to register a new political party,” he said.

 

El-Rufai said his support for Tinubu in the 2023
presidential election stemmed from the latter’s notable achievements as Lagos
state governor, adding that he backed him with the hope that he could replicate
the success nationwide.

“We know what Tinubu did in Lagos, we are all aware, but we
said if he can do the same as he did that makes Lagos great, we said okay,
let’s support him,” he said.

 

El-Rufai also addressed speculations about his presidential
ambition in the 2027 election, saying the decision lies not with him but with
his party and the people.

 

“It is not for me to decide, it is the party and the people
that will decide. Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that
met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to
contest,” he added.

 

Although el-Rufai had said he informed Buhari of his plan to
resign from the APC, the former president subsequently declared that he remains
a loyal member of the ruling party.

 

Source: 2027: El-Rufai urges Atiku, Obi, Aregbesola to join SDP

 - NigerianEye
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