Alhaji Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has dismissed the recent wave of defections to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), calling it an extension of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Galadima argued that the SDP is merely a rebranded version of the APC, with defectors coming primarily from the ruling party.
“The SDP that you talked about in your introduction is a branch of the APC. It was those APC people that moved to what you now call SDP. Nothing more. How many people from other parties have moved to the SDP? That is the question people should ask,” he stated.
Galadima’s comments come in response to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s call for opposition leaders to join the SDP ahead of the 2027 elections to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
El-Rufai, who recently left the APC for the SDP, has been reaching out to key opposition figures—including Peter Obi (Labour Party), Atiku Abubakar (PDP), and Rauf Aregbesola (Tinubu’s former ally)—urging them to unite under the SDP.
However, not everyone is buying into El-Rufai’s vision. Former Jigawa State Governor and PDP stalwart, Sule Lamido, outright rejected the invitation, calling it an insult.
In a BBC Hausa interview on Sunday, March 16, Lamido criticized El-Rufai’s political maneuvering, saying, “Leadership requires patience and vision. The PDP laid the foundation for El-Rufai’s political career, so why should I abandon it?”
As political realignments heat up ahead of 2027, the battle lines are being drawn, but not everyone is convinced the SDP is the answer to Nigeria’s opposition struggles.
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