As Nigeria inches closer to the 2027 presidential election, political maneuvering has intensified, with key figures seeking viable platforms among the country’s 19 registered parties.
Among these, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has emerged as a hub of activity, with seven presidential aspirants already lined up, according to the party’s National Secretary, Olu Agunloye.
“We have eight presidential aspirants; it could be 10. Seven of them are on our platform,” Agunloye revealed on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program aired on Channels Television. While he refrained from naming the aspirants, he emphasized the party’s determination to retain all interested contenders, ensuring they do not defect to rival parties.”
Adding to the intrigue, Agunloye confirmed that allies of 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi had approached the SDP, exploring the possibility of his future candidacy under the party.
“Obi’s people came to us to say if Obi comes, would you take him? Of course, we told them: ‘Yes’. I was in that meeting. Some of them are with us saying that they are preparing the ground but you have to join SDP. You cannot be in the Labour Party and be telling us Obi is coming without joining us otherwise we can’t open our doors for you. But Obi may have no plan to come or he may want to come. People do all of this but where we stand is that we must do well in our platform,” he stated.
The buildup to 2027 has seen opposition forces coalescing in a bid to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leader, President Bola Tinubu.
On March 20, 2025, prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Obi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, formally announced a coalition aimed at unseating the incumbent administration, which has faced criticism over rising inflation and economic hardships.
The coalition is banking on the numerical strength of votes secured by Atiku and Obi in 2023, when they collectively garnered over 12 million votes, more than four million above Tinubu’s total.
However, with internal crises plaguing both the PDP and LP, along with discontent among APC members, the SDP has emerged as a viable alternative for political heavyweights.
SDP’s Agunloye confirmed the party’s openness to new entrants.
“Our gates are open. So, if all of them want to come, we will take them,” he said. However, he stressed that new arrivals would not be allowed to overshadow long-standing party members.”
“We will not allow people to come and sweep the people out from the place. We must synergize; we must maximize the opportunities because these are people with a lot of experience.”
“Whatever anybody wants to say about El-Rufai, you cannot take his experience away, you cannot take his expertise away, you cannot take his energy away. And he has money because anybody who is able to win elections has money –whether he is able to raise it or has it from inheritance. So, it is a plus that he joins the party but we must find a way to work together with him.”
The SDP official also confirmed that El-Rufai’s defection from the APC to the SDP had triggered an influx of new members.
“I know that (Hamza) Al-Mustapha has come because he came to the office to collect our membership card. El-Rufai has come and a couple of his former commissioners, and associates.”
“Several other people called and said they don’t know El-Rufai but because he came, they want to come. I am the secretary of the party. If your name is not on our book, you have come but you have not entered,” he explained.
Rumors have swirled about Atiku potentially joining the SDP, but Agunloye remained cautious.
“I’ve been hearing that Atiku is coming. Atiku and I are friends since the time he was vice president. He still spoke to me about one week or less ago; he didn’t say: ‘I am coming’.”
With multiple high-profile politicians eyeing the SDP’s presidential ticket, Agunloye acknowledged the complexity of the situation.
“Just imagine Peter Obi, Atiku, El-Rufai, (Attahiru) Bafarawa come on the same platform, you have to find a balance,” he noted.
Regarding zoning of the party’s 2027 ticket, he indicated that the decision would be made collectively.
“We need to strengthen all the structures in SDP. We need to preserve the integrity of the SDP. We need to have a situation where everybody has his responsibility. Because they have come, we are not going to merge but we must be honest. It is only when we deal honestly that Peter Obi can sit down, Adewole (Adebayo) can sit down, Atiku can sit down.”
