The former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) before the next general election.
El-Rufai dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for SDP on Monday over the party leaders’ disregard for its founding principles and values.
Before he left the party, the former criticized the APC and President Bola Tinubu’s administration for fostering bad leadership in the country.
In an interview published by BBC Hausa on Saturday, El-Rufai ruled out a merger and appealed to the former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, his Transportation counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, and others to join the SDP to defeat President Tinubu in 2027.
On the next election, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said the decision to vie for the president does not lie with him but with his party and the people.
El-Rufai said he supported President Tinubu in the 2023 election because of his performance as Lagos State governor.
He said: “My wishes and prayers are Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf, all opposition leaders to come and join SDP, not to do a merger or to register a new political party.
“We know what Tinubu did in Lagos, we are all aware. But we said if he can do the same as he did that makes Lagos great, we said okay, let’s support him.
“For the 2027 election, it is not for me to decide, it is the party and the people that will decide. Even when I was contesting for governor, it was people that met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me and asked me to contest.”