Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, has announced his intention to run again in 2027.
Speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Friday, Adebayo said SDP is not engaged in any discussions regarding a coalition with other political entities.
He said SDP is committed to maintaining its independence and pursuing its own agenda ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
His remarks come amid political realignments following the defection of Nasir el-Rufai, former Kaduna state governor, from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP.
El-Rufai had suggested the possibility of a broader opposition coalition to challenge the APC in future elections.
However, Adebayo downplayed the idea, adding that such discussions were taking place outside the SDP’s leadership.
“As a coalition, it is not within our party; maybe people are having discussions outside, and after having their discussions, they feel like they can come to the SDP and try to work within the SDP,” Adebayo said.
“We have no crisis in our party. When they were offering positions, we didn’t join them, we remained where we were. Many more will join us if you’re consistent and build your house and do not get distracted. What we are trying to do here is to ensure that whatever is chasing people from wherever they are coming from does not affect our party.”
The former presidential candidate also made it clear that his 2027 bid was well known within the party.
“Everybody who is coming in knows I’m going to run in 2027. Even everybody at my party knows I am going to run. There is what is called seniority,” he added.
“When you join my party, you’re coming to learn from us the SDP way. You may have known politics elsewhere, but you’re joining as an ordinary member.”
Despite rejecting the idea of a coalition, Adebayo welcomed el-Rufai’s defection to the SDP, describing him as a “skilled administrator”.
“I recognise El-Rufai as someone who is a technocrat and an achiever when you give him an executive job to do. He has his own weaknesses, and it is his job to deal with them. I’m not his therapist, and I am not his mentor,” he said.
“The reason I welcomed him to my party is that I see him as a patriotic Nigerian, hardworking and effective in an era where we don’t have effective people in government.”
