Buba Galadima, a senior member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is positioning himself within the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a proxy for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Galadima, who previously served as the National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), also revealed discussions are ongoing to create a unified opposition ahead of the 2027 presidential elections.
He said the coalition’s goal is to remove President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power.
The idea of a coalition was first publicly floated in March when Atiku and other opposition figures held a joint press conference criticizing the administration’s approach to political unrest in Rivers State. However, developments have since been quiet.
Speaking in a recent interview, Galadima said although he hasn’t interacted with El-Rufai directly, members of El-Rufai’s camp, including the SDP chairman, had reached out to him for discussions.
“I haven’t met El-Rufai personally, but his people have come to see me. I shared my views candidly. El-Rufai doesn’t have the credibility to lead any opposition. His past actions are catching up with him,” Galadima said.
He accused El-Rufai of a pattern of political betrayal, citing broken alliances with figures like Atiku, Obasanjo, Buhari, and Tinubu.
“Someone who has consistently turned against his allies cannot command trust. Anyone with a basic understanding of politics would be cautious about working with him,” he added.
Galadima also criticized El-Rufai’s early preparations for 2027, saying that opposition politics typically intensifies closer to the election period.
“Opposition movements don’t start years in advance. They move fast and strategically close to election time. El-Rufai’s early moves will likely fizzle out before it matters,” he argued.
Asked about potential collaboration with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Galadima confirmed that several political actors, including El-Rufai, have initiated contact.
“Discussions have been happening behind closed doors. El-Rufai himself reached out. But serious coalition-building will happen around mid-next year,” he stated.
Turning to the state of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Galadima claimed the party has collapsed internally and is no longer viable.
“The PDP is fragmented and unfixable. Atiku knows this and is trying to find a backup plan. That’s why El-Rufai is trying to carve out a place for him in the SDP in case things fall apart completely,” he said.
He further accused Nyesom Wike of preventing the PDP from recovering and influencing recent legal decisions.
“Wike has no interest in the PDP healing. He has sway over the judiciary, and it’s evident from the court rulings against Governor Fubara and renewed scrutiny on Peter Odili after so many years. It’s clear who is orchestrating these moves,” Galadima concluded.
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