Nasir El-Rufai, a former Governor of Kaduna State and prominent figure in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has declared that President Bola Tinubu stands no real chance of securing re-election in 2027.
Speaking during an interview shared on X (formerly Twitter), El-Rufai dismissed the possibility of a second term for the president, arguing that only those disconnected from the country’s realities would believe otherwise.
“Anybody that thinks it is possible for President Bola Tinubu to get re-elected is living in another country, not Nigeria. It is impossible for Bola Tinubu to get re-elected,” El-Rufai stated.
The former APC stalwart, who previously backed Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid, claimed that the ruling party has lost the confidence of ordinary Nigerians.
According to him, growing dissatisfaction with the administration’s policies has paved the way for even the weakest opposition to triumph at the polls.
“I don’t see a pathway for him,” he added.
El-Rufai also downplayed the wave of defections to the APC, arguing that most of those joining the party are driven either by personal gain or fear of anti-corruption probes.
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“It is greedy and hungry politicians and those that are looking for money, contract, appointment, office that are defecting,” he said.“The other class of those defecting are those that know that the EFCC or ICPC can intimidate them, because they know what they have done if they have done what is not quite right.”
He emphasized that the SDP and its allied political coalition are not focusing on politicians, but rather on mobilizing Nigerian voters who feel let down by the current leadership.
“And this is what I think the SDP and the coalition of political parties or grouping that we are working with is targeting. We believe that the 2027 elections will be between the APC and Nigerians,” he said.
El-Rufai is part of a growing alliance that includes figures such as former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Together, they are seeking to challenge and unseat President Tinubu through the ballot in the next general election.