Nasir El-Rufai, a key figure in the emerging opposition coalition, has stated that the coalition does not require the support of governors to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
Speaking in Kano, El-Rufai, who recently joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said the coalition’s strategy focuses on direct voter mobilization, rather than seeking the backing of political officeholders.
“We are trying to offer Nigerians a real alternative — something different from what they have seen before,” he said. “A governor has only one vote. Nigerians have many more votes than one governor or even 36 governors combined.”
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His comments follow the PDP Governors’ Forum’s rejection of any coalition or merger ahead of 2027.
Despite speculations that PDP governors would align with the new opposition movement after a meeting between Atiku Abubakar and former President Muhammadu Buhari, the forum distanced itself from such efforts.
El-Rufai downplayed the impact of recent defections, including that of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to the APC, asserting that the coalition’s strategy remains intact.
“The fact that one governor from the PDP has defected means nothing. We are not counting on governors to win elections. We are counting on the people,” he said. “A governor has only one vote. Nigerians — millions of them — have more power than 36 governors combined.”
He pointed to President Tinubu’s 2023 experience in Lagos, where Tinubu lost despite having a sitting governor, and his own experience in Kaduna, where he lost despite being governor, as evidence that elections are decided by the people, not political figures.
El-Rufai said the coalition’s focus is on building a strong platform, not selecting candidates at this stage. “Our focus now is not on selecting candidates. It is on building the platform first,” he said.
He added that the coalition would be people-driven and prioritize internal democracy, avoiding the “stranglehold of godfathers” that he believes has damaged other parties.
He clarified that the coalition’s intention was never to merge with the PDP, which he described as a “spent force.”
Instead, the goal is to create a fresh alternative that inspires hope.
He disclosed that the SDP was chosen after evaluating parties likely to survive INEC’s post-election deregistration process.
El-Rufai emphasized the importance of building a party from the ground up, with registered members and leadership at all levels, rather than simply forming one.
He also stressed the need for a leader who can address Nigeria’s existential crisis, regardless of regional origin. “I no longer care where the president comes from. I want a candidate who can offer real solutions to Nigeria’s problems and excite Nigerians enough to come out and vote,” he said.
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