Strong indications have emerged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, are in advanced talks to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), as revealed by Prince Adewole Adebayo, the party’s former presidential flagbearer. This potential coalition could reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, Adebayo confirmed that representatives of Atiku and Obi have been in discreet discussions with SDP leaders. According to him, the party is actively engaging opposition figures as part of a wider move to unite progressives against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Adebayo disclosed that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and several other political heavyweights are also part of the ongoing conversation. He emphasized that while some politicians may not yet understand SDP’s disciplined and rule-based structure, the party remains open to all who are ready to embrace a new political culture.
He cautioned that intending defectors must align with the party’s ideology, which, according to him, is distinct from the transactional politics that characterizes many existing parties. “Some of them are used to Boy Scout-type politics and black-market arrangements. We don’t operate like that in SDP,” Adebayo stated pointedly.
The former presidential candidate noted that if this coalition materializes, the SDP could become the dominant political force in Nigeria and unseat President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “If we unite under a clean, transparent vision, we will defeat APC and send President Tinubu into political retirement—whether in Lagos or anywhere else,” he said.
SDP insiders have hinted that discussions are being led by key figures across the Northern, South-East, and South-South regions, who are frustrated by the fragmentation and inefficiency of opposition politics post-2023. Sources within the party confirmed that the Financial Secretary and other top officials are managing the negotiations quietly to avoid unnecessary media frenzy.
The development comes amid growing public dissatisfaction with economic conditions under the APC-led government. With inflation hitting 31.7% in February 2025 and naira volatility worsening, political analysts believe the time is ripe for a serious opposition front capable of challenging the status quo in 2027.
