Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, revealed on Sunday that Labour Party’s Peter Obi is in discussions to join the SDP, following in the footsteps of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Adebayo shared this information during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
In recent months, Obi’s interactions with opposition figures such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have sparked speculation about his political allegiance, with many Nigerians questioning whether he is leaving the Labour Party.
However, Obi has consistently reiterated that he remains a member of the Labour Party.
Adebayo, however, asserted on Sunday that he had reliable information indicating that Obi was set to join the SDP.
He stated, “People are joining my party, and we are welcoming them. You can see how active I am in welcoming them.”
“The only little issue we have with some of them is changing the culture where, if you have not been in an environment where rules are taken seriously, some of them have been engaged in ‘Boy Scouts,’ black market operations, but we are dealing with that. But we welcome them into the party.”
The SDP candidate further added, “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 asked to clarify if Obi was indeed joining the SDP, Adebayo hesitated, but confirmed that he had been reliably informed.
He explained, “Supposedly, until somebody joins, we don’t know. But people have told me, and the Financial Secretary of the SDP has also informed me that they are talking. So we will welcome everybody.”
Adebayo continued, “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. No court case, no crisis, no allegations.”
He concluded, “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.”
