The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has hinted at the possibility of stepping down for Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2027 general election, as talks intensify to form a united opposition front against President Bola Tinubu.
He, however, ruled out the possibility of stepping down for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, Adebayo also revealed that “serious, quiet and honourable” consultations are already underway among key opposition figures determined to rescue Nigeria from what he described as a failing government.
“I like what Obi is doing. He is serious-minded, focused and committed. These are not photo-op meetings; they are real, meaningful conversations aimed at political change,” Adebayo said.
Pressed on whether he would personally step down for Obi in a future alliance, Adebayo said: “That will come later. But from what I see, I like what he is doing.”
He dismissed recent political defections and noisy declarations as distractions, insisting that real change would come from strategic collaboration, not empty rhetorics. Adebayo was blunt in his critique of Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of wasting the goodwill it received at inception.
“Nigerians have given him two years to prove himself, and he is failing. If this continues, the people will send him packing. He will go back to wherever he came from,” he said.
Adebayo’s remarks added fuel to speculation that a powerful opposition coalition may be in the making, with Obi possibly at the helm of a renewed movement to challenge the status quo in 2027.
Reacting to suggestions that the SDP might be absorbed into a broader alliance to challenge the incumbent in 2027, Adebayo maintained that neither he nor Atiku could dictate the direction of the party.
He added: “I will not [step down], and he [Atiku] has not said anybody should step down. Neither I nor Atiku can use the SDP. The SDP belongs to the Nigerian people. Nobody can use it.
“What can happen is that people who believe that the SDP is right and that their ideologies align, can come to the party. Knowing that the party is open and democratic, they will want to come in and compete, because you have the best chance of competing in a system that hasn’t been bought over by anybody.”
Adebayo also said the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, lacked the mandate of the party to hold coalition talks with opposition leaders. He stated this while dismissing a report claiming that el-Rufai was representing the SDP in the ongoing coalition discussions.
“The SDP, led by Shehu Gabam and Olu Agunloye, is not involved in any coalition led by somebody else,” he said. “He has not given me an assignment to do a coalition on his behalf, nor has he given any assignment to my senior brother, el-Rufai. El-Rufai is not representing SDP in any coalition,” Adebayo stated.
