Barring unforeseen changes to ongoing plans, the journey to the formation of a grand political alliance to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and indeed President Bola Tinubu’s administration at the next general elections, may have begun.
The grand alliance, according to sources privy to the discussions, would see the coming together of political heavyweights from the APC, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party.
Early on Monday, one of the founding members of the APC, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, resigned from the party and cross-carpeted to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the platform being proposed to host the alliance.
In resigning from APC, he cited “disregard for democratic principles and progressive values” and “growing concerns about governance and internal party dynamics” as major reasons for parting ways.
However, his decampment has since been trailed by the news of other political bigwigs that may follow him to the SDP.
While a source close to El-Rufai, but prefers anonymity, said “in a few days to come, we shall see El-Rufai’s supporters and political friends decamping from APC to SDP,” a host of aggrieved high-ranking APC members are also said to be in consultations to join the big SDP coalition.
Some of the top names include former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu, including some former Ministers who served under President Muhammadu Buhari.
The unfolding development comes amid talks of a coalition among opposition parties to present a common front to challenge President Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 election.
An informed source said the coalition efforts from the opposition will involve Atiku Abubakar’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi’s faction of Labour Party (LP), and the Nasir El-Rufai group who are all set to defect to the SDP.
Recall that a former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, while speaking recently on a television programme, hinted that merger talks between opposition politicians were gaining traction.
Also, on Sunday, El-Rufai visited ex-Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and Pastor Tunde Bakare, in Lagos. Photographs of the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister posing with Aregbesola and Bakare subsequently went viral on social media.
While El-Rufai’s discussion with the two politicians was not revealed, it is believed that the visits were part of political scheming ahead of the 2027 general elections.
