‘Obi People Came To Us If We Will Accept Him In SDP’ – Agunloye

With Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election just two years away, political strategists are already positioning themselves for a shot at the country’s highest office.

Among the 19 registered political parties, fresh alliances and shifts are being made, with some political actors exploring special purpose vehicles to realize their ambitions of occupying Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of power in Abuja.

Naija News understands that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has emerged as a key player in the political drama, with no fewer than seven presidential aspirants already lining up under its platform.

This was revealed by the party’s National Secretary, Olu Agunloye, in an interview on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.

“We have eight presidential aspirants; it could be 10. Seven of them are on our platform,” Agunloye, a former steel minister, said during the interview.

While he refrained from naming the individuals, Agunloye made it clear that the SDP would do everything in its power to retain these aspirants, adding, “We can’t afford to lose any of the interested politicians to other parties.”

Agunloye also revealed that loyalists of Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), have approached the SDP with a proposal to prepare the party’s platform should Obi choose to join.

“Obi’s people came to us to say if Obi comes, would you take him? Of course, we told them: ‘Yes’,” Agunloye explained, emphasizing that while Obi has not yet declared his official intention, his supporters have made overtures to the SDP.

Agunloye elaborated, saying, “Some of them are with us saying that they are preparing the ground but you have to join SDP. You cannot be in the Labour Party and be telling us Obi is coming without joining us, otherwise we can’t open our doors for you.”

Though the conversation surrounding Obi’s potential switch to the SDP remains speculative, Agunloye acknowledged that while Obi may or may not plan to join, the party is prepared for any eventuality.

“But Obi may have no plan to come or he may want to come. People do all of this but where we stand is that we must do well in our platform,” Agunloye affirmed.