Drama As Adebayo Rules Out El-Rufai’s Coalition Talks, Declares 2027 Presidential Ambition Under SDP
- As political alignments shift ahead of the 2027 elections, Adewole Adebayo has maintained that the SDP will not merge with other parties
- Adebayo disclosed this while reacting to El-Rufai’s defection to SDP and call for unity among opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections
- In an interview, Adewole Adebayo insisted that anyone joining the SDP must adapt to the party’s principles rather than trying to reshape it
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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, has announced his intention to run again in 2027.

Source: Facebook
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Friday, March 14, Adebayo said the SDP was not engaged in any discussions regarding a coalition with other political entities.
Adebayo noted that SDP was committed to maintaining its independence and pursuing its own agenda ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
Speaking further, he added that the SDP was committed to maintaining its independence and pursuing its own agenda ahead of the 2027 presidential race.
Adebayo made this remark amid political realignments following the defection of Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna state governor, from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP.
El-Rufai had suggested the possibility of a broader opposition coalition to challenge the APC in future elections.
Adebayo rejects El-Rufai's coalition talks

Source: Facebook
Reacting, Adebayo downplayed the idea, adding that such discussions were taking place outside the SDP’s leadership.
As reported by The Cable, the former presidential candidate also made it clear that his 2027 bid was well-known within the party.
Despite rejecting the idea of a coalition, Adebayo welcomed El-Rufai’s defection to the SDP, describing him as a “skilled administrator”.
“Everybody who is coming in knows I’m going to run in 2027. Even everybody at my party knows I am going to run. There is what is called seniority,” he added.
“When you join my party, you’re coming to learn from us the SDP way. You may have known politics elsewhere, but you’re joining as an ordinary member.”
Read more about SDP here:
- 2027 election: Video trends as ex-Abacha aide, Hamza Al-Mustapha joins SDP
- El-Rufai mentions powerful ex-president who approved, blessed him before exiting APC for SDP
El-Rufai speaks on 2027 presidency
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nasir El-Rufai, the former Kaduna state governor, said he has yet to discuss his 2027 presidential ambitions with anyone.
The former governor stated this in an interview while speaking on the possibility of taking on President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
El-Rufai recently criticised President Tinubu's administration and the APC after engaging with several opposition leaders.
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Source: Legit.ng

Esther Odili (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Esther Odili is a journalist and a Politics/Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng with 6+ years of experience. She Holds OND and HND in Mass Communication from the Nigerian Institue of Journalism (NIJ), where she was recognized as the best student in print journalism in 2018. Before joining Legit.ng, Esther has worked with other reputable media houses, such as the New Telegraph newspaper and Galaxy Television. In 2024, Esther obtained a certificate in advanced digital reporting from the Google News Initiative. Email: esther.odili@corp.legit.ng.

Nkem Ikeke (Copy editor) Nkem Ikeke is currently a copy editor who also writes for the politics and current affairs desk on weekends. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (2010), and has over 10 years of work experience in the media industry (Reporter, News Agency of Nigeria). Email: n.ikeke@corp.legit.ng