SDP chairman shares details of meeting with El-Rufai, Atiku’s allies

The Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Gabam, has finally opened up about his recent meeting with former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai and allies of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The closed-door meeting, which took place at the SDP national secretariat, sparked speculations about a possible political merger ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to Gabam, the meeting was centered around conversations for a better Nigeria, rather than a political party. “There is no official statement from El-Rufai or any one of them about officially joining SDP,” Gabam clarified. “We are looking for like-minded people who believe in the future of the country, so that we can work together and uplift the individual standard of Nigeria.”

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Gabam also revealed that he has been receiving dignitaries from different political parties, discussing ways to stabilize the country and offer productive advice to the government. “Once the government has a crisis, it affects every Nigerian,” Gabam emphasized. “So, part of our responsibilities is to make sure we are not facing a crisis.”

The SDP chairman assured that there is an ongoing conversation, and when the time comes, they will arrive at a conclusion and hold an official press conference. “Once we agree on what we are going to do together, we will unveil it to all Nigerians,” Gabam promised.

Gabam’s statement comes after a chieftain of the PDP and ally of Atiku Abubakar, Segun Showunmi, described the meeting as “strategic.” Showunmi revealed that the meeting was called to review “The state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria” and plan a stronger opposition for Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections.

SDP chairman shares details of meeting with El-Rufai, Atiku’s allies

APC spokesman denies threatening Peter Obi

Felix Morka, National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has accused Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last election, of misleading the public.

Obi had raised the alarm that Morka threatened him over his New Year message to President Bola Tinubu.

“My New Year Message has now led to threats to my life, my family, and those around me. While I have received all sorts of messages, one Mr. Felix Morka has gone further to accuse me of “crossing the line” and has warned that I will face consequences,” Obi had tweeted.

The allegation of Obi had attracted comments from different quarters, with Atiku Abubakar, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election, accusing the ruling party of stifling opposition voices.

The Labour Party also told Tinubu to call Morka to order, demanding a probe of the alarm raised by Obi.

But in a statement on Tuesday, Morka said Obi’s allegation stemmed from his answer to a question during an interview on AriseTV’s THIS WEEK program on Saturday, January 4, 2025.

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“To be clear and for the record, Morka did not threaten Mr Obi or his family or those around him or anyone. Morka has absolutely no reason to, and has never, threatened Obi or anyone. Nothing that Morka said in that interview or any other forum remotely contains or suggests threat against Mr. Obi or anyone else, as the verbatim transcription of the relevant clip indisputably attests:

“Morka’s answer was in the exclusive context of the question. The last sentence of that answer that, “I am not somebody to go on the offensive in that manner, but Mr. Obi has crossed the line so many times and I think that at this point he has coming to him, whatever he gets, he needs to manage it”, was in specific and exclusive response to the question’s reference to “prophet of doom” and “voodoo economics”. Again, nothing in that sentence constitutes or suggests a threat to Obi or anyone.

“While everyone has a right to free speech, no one has a right to peddle misinformation or outright falsehood. The right to free speech granted by our country’s Constitution is not Mr. Obi’s exclusive right but a right that is available to all Nigerians, including Morka. Mr. Obi cannot disseminate misinformation and demand or expect that no one should disagree or challenge his false narrative.

“Ours is a democracy where every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, is entitled to agree or disagree with other political views or opinions. More than any other Nigerian in this political dispensation, Mr. Obi has exercised his fundamental liberty to speak and disseminate his political views in person, in the formal and on social media.”

The APC spokesman claimed Obi leads a restless band of online mob who continue to attack, intimidate, bully and issue death threats to other citizens who dare disagree or criticize Obi or his opinions or position on any subject or matter of national conversation.

“Many eminent and highly respected elder statesmen have been serially attacked, humiliated and bullied by Obi’s online followers. Obi has never condemned their conduct or called them to order.”

“Obi must think himself to be Nigeria’s sacred cow, the super citizen, quintessential, without blemish, beyond reproach, always right, never wrong, and endowed with the supreme and inalienable right to deride, castigate, intimidate blackmail and incite Nigerians against other political leaders who disagree with him, even those who defeated him decisively in the last general election. Mr. Obi is not entitled to any monolithic or exclusive constitutional or extraterrestrial liberty over and above any other citizen.

“There’s no doubt that Mr. Obi has crossed the line of truth in his many assessments. As a candidate for the office of President in the last general election, Mr. Obi made very bold electoral promises to implement specific economic policies to tackle the country’s economic crisis.”

APC spokesman denies threatening Peter Obi

El-Rufai speaks on report of defection to PDP

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has dismissed claims that he has defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A close associate of the ex-governor informed Channels Television that the allegations are baseless and the work of detractors. The aide emphasized that El-Rufai, as a prominent political figure, would not join the PDP without making such a decision public.

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El-Rufai also addressed the speculation on his verified X account, formerly known as Twitter, urging the public to ignore the rumors and asserting that legal action has been initiated against those spreading falsehoods.

“Please disregard the patent lies and rumours about my political affiliation. I have referred the lead peddlers of the fake news for further action by my lawyers,” El-Rufai posted on Sunday.

El-Rufai speaks on report of defection to PDP