Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that Nigeria’s emerging opposition coalition can defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections without the support of state governors.
Speaking during a media chat with journalists in Kano State on Monday, El-Rufai, who recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said President Tinubu can mobilise all the state governors but if Nigerians reject him, it is over.
He noted that his coalition’s strength lies in mobilising voters directly rather than courting political officeholders.
“We are trying to offer Nigerians a real alternative — something different from what they have seen before,” El-Rufai said.
“A governor has only one vote. Nigerians have many more votes than one governor or even 36 governors combined,” he added, underscoring the coalition’s grassroots-focused strategy.
His comments come amid speculation following recent high-profile meetings involving opposition leaders, including a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other coalition figures.
The visit had sparked rumours of a possible alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but PDP governors have since distanced themselves from any merger talks.
Following a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum in Ibadan — attended by acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum and several PDP governors — the forum publicly rejected any coalition or merger plans ahead of 2027.
But El-Rufai insisted that their movement was never dependent on governors in the first place.
“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.
“It doesn’t matter if you gather all the governors together; if the people of Nigeria say they are not with you, it is over,” he added.
El-Rufai pointed to Tinubu’s 2023 experience in Lagos as evidence that governors alone cannot guarantee victory.
“The president had a sitting governor in Lagos — and still lost Lagos. So, what is the real value of a governor?” he asked.
Reflecting on his own experience in the last general elections, 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.”
He stressed that the coalition, spearheaded by the SDP, would be entirely people-driven.
El-Rufai also addressed speculations about presidential candidates, with names like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi being floated.
“Our focus now is not on selecting candidates. It is on building the platform first,” he said.
He explained that aspirants are welcome but must set aside personal ambitions for now.
“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 said.
“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.”
On regional considerations, El-Rufai emphasised that Nigeria’s challenges transcend ethnic or regional interests.
“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.
Warning of a deepening national crisis, he said: “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.”
Addressing the PDP governors’ rejection of coalition talks, El-Rufai clarified that the coalition’s aim was never to merge with the PDP.
“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.”
According to him, the coalition seeks to present Nigerians with a “genuine alternative” rather than rebranding existing crisis-prone 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 why the SDP was selected as the coalition’s platform.
“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 chose the SDP after evaluating political parties likely to survive deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“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.
He described party-building as “the real work,” warning against shortcuts:
“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.”
El-Rufai stressed that the coalition would uphold internal democracy, learning from past mistakes.
“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.”
