Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has confidently declared that the emerging coalition of opposition parties does not require the backing of governors to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to journalists in Kano, El-Rufai—who recently dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP)—emphasised a grassroots approach, dismissing the political weight of governors in determining election outcomes.
“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.
His comments come amid reports that the PDP Governors’ Forum has rejected any merger or coalition ahead of the 2027 elections. Despite meetings involving opposition heavyweights, including Atiku Abubakar and El-Rufai with former President Muhammadu Buhari, PDP governors have publicly distanced themselves from the alliance.
After a strategic gathering in Ibadan, PDP leaders reaffirmed their independent path.
“We are not merging with anyone. We are focused on rebuilding our party for the future,” the forum stated.
In what many see as a repeat of 2023’s cross-party alignments, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno recently pledged loyalty to Tinubu, promising support for a second term.
“We believe in continuity, and Akwa Ibom will stand with Mr. President to complete his eight years in office,” he said at the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway flag-off.
Shortly after, key defections followed, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former vice-presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, signalling setbacks for the opposition.
“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.”
Citing Tinubu’s loss in Lagos during the last presidential election despite having a sitting governor.
“The president had a sitting governor in Lagos — and still lost Lagos. So, what is the real value of a governor?”
He also reflected on his own experience, “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.”
Turning attention to the coalition’s structure, El-Rufai insisted that no individual ambition would derail its vision.
“Our focus now is not on selecting candidates. It is on building the platform first. 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.”
On his view of Nigeria’s future leadership, “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.”
Warning of looming instability, he added, “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.”
El-Rufai also rejected claims of planned mergers with the PDP, saying, “From the beginning, our intention was never to merge with the PDP. We have been very clear about that.The PDP is a spent force. It is a party targeted for destruction, and, frankly, it has almost succeeded.”
Instead, he said the coalition aims to unite credible voices under one fresh platform.
“We are not looking at political parties that are already ravaged by internal conflicts. We are building something fresh, something that will inspire hope.”
According to El-Rufai, the SDP was chosen after a careful analysis of which parties are best positioned to withstand INEC’s post-election deregistration process.
“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 added, “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.”
Rejecting the control of party godfathers, he argued, “What destroyed previous parties in Nigeria is a lack of internal democracy and the stranglehold of godfathers. We want to eliminate that… We want a party that no one owns, where everyone has a voice.”
