Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-presidential candidate Peter Obi may be exploring a shift to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), according to Adewole Adebayo, the party’s 2023 presidential flagbearer.
Speaking on Sunday Politics aired by Channels Television, Adebayo revealed that representatives of both politicians are in ongoing discussions about the possibility of joining the SDP. This development follows the recent defection of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai to the party.
“People are joining my party, and we are welcoming them,” Adebayo said. “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.”
He added, “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, even former Governor Peter Obi are coming. A lot of people are coming, and we will welcome them.”
When pressed for clarity on Obi’s involvement, Adebayo remained cautious, saying discussions were underway but not finalized.
“Supposedly, until somebody joins, we don’t know. But people have told me, and the Financial Secretary (SDP) has also informed me, that they are talking. So we will welcome everybody.”
He emphasized the SDP’s commitment to internal democracy, referencing the party’s 2022 convention as a model of transparency.
“Surely, when we come in, and we don’t become a tower of Babel; if we come in, follow the rules and allow one person to emerge transparently, clearly, without cheating, without criminality… the way we did our convention in 2022, people applauded us—transparently, no court case, no crisis, no allegations.”
“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,” he asserted.
Although Obi has maintained that he remains committed to the Labour Party, which propelled him to a strong third-place finish in the 2023 election, the rumors of possible realignments ahead of the next cycle appear to be gaining traction.
Atiku finished second in the last presidential poll, which was won by APC’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
