We can win without governors – El-Rufai

A key figure in the emerging coalition of opposition parties, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the coalition does not need the backing of governors to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

Speaking during a media chat with journalists in Kano yesterday, the former Kaduna State governor — who recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) — said the coalition’s strategy is focused on mobilising voters directly, not courting political officeholders.

“We are trying to offer Nigerians a real alternative — something different from what they have seen before,” El-Rufai said.

“A governor has only one vote. Nigerians have many more votes than one governor or even 36 governors combined,” he added.

El-Rufai’s remarks come against the backdrop of the PDP Governors’ Forum rejecting any coalition or merger ahead of 2027.

Following a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, alongside coalition members including El-Rufai, there had been speculation that the PDP governors would align with the new opposition movement.

However, after a meeting in Ibadan — attended by the party’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, and several governors — the forum distanced itself from coalition efforts.

“We are not merging with anyone. We are focused on rebuilding our party for the future,” the forum said after the meeting.

Signalling another shift reminiscent of how some PDP governors worked for Tinubu’s emergence in 2023, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, few days after the forum’s resolution publicly assured President Tinubu that his state would stand by him to complete a second term.

Speaking at the flag-off of the Akwa Ibom–Cross River section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Eno said: “We believe in continuity, and Akwa Ibom will stand with Mr. President to complete his eight years in office.”

Shortly after, defections by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, another PDP governor; Atiku’s 2023 running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, and their supporters to the APC which was formalised yesterday were seen by many as a significant blow to the opposition’s momentum.