Loyalists of the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have begun lobbying the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as part of a broader move to position him for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, the SDP’s National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, has revealed.
Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television,
Agunloye disclosed that Obi’s associates had approached the party to inquire about the possibility of his defection, though the former Anambra State governor has not officially declared his intention.
“Obi’s people came to us to say if Obi comes, would you take him? Of course, we told them: ‘Yes.’ I was in that meeting,” Agunloye said.
However, he emphasized that SDP would only take Obi seriously if he officially joined the party, stating, “You cannot be in the Labour Party and be telling us Obi is coming without joining us; otherwise, we can’t open our doors for you.
According to Agunloye, the race for the SDP’s presidential ticket is already heating up, with at least seven aspirants actively seeking the party’s nomination.
“We have eight presidential aspirants; it could be 10. Seven of them are on our platform,” he revealed.
While affirming that the party remains open to new entrants, he maintained that the SDP would not allow newcomers to displace existing party members.
“We will not allow people to come and sweep the people out from the place. We must synergise; we must maximize the opportunities because these are people with a lot of experience,” he said.
Agunloye cited the defection of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the SDP as a major boost for the party.
“I know that (Hamza) Al-Mustapha has come because he came to the office to collect our membership card. El-Rufai has come and a couple of his former commissioners and associates,” he disclosed.
He added that El-Rufai’s move had inspired more politicians to consider joining the SDP.
“Several other people called and said they don’t know El-Rufai, but because he came, they want to come,” he said.
Amid speculation that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar might dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the SDP, Agunloye dismissed any confirmed plans of defection.
“I’ve been hearing that Atiku is coming. Atiku and I have been friends since the time he was vice president.
“He still spoke to me about a week ago, but he didn’t say, ‘I am coming,’” he clar
With the growing number of high-profile politicians eyeing the SDP’s presidential ticket, Agunloye stressed that the party must carefully manage the selection process.
“Just imagine Peter Obi, Atiku, El-Rufai, (Attahiru) Bafarawa coming on the same platform; you have to find a balance,” he stated
On whether the party’s 2027 ticket would be zoned to a particular region, Agunloye said the decision would be made at the appropriate time.
“We need to strengthen all the structures in SDP. We need to preserve the integrity of the SDP. We need to have a situation where everybody has their responsibility,” he concluded.
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