2027: Dalung Speaks On 10 Ex-Buhari Ministers Joining SDP To Work Against Tinubu

Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has addressed reports suggesting that some former ministers from the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari are leading a massive defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in preparation for the 2027 elections.

When asked about the claim that 10 former ministers from Buhari’s administration were joining the SDP, Dalung responded by revealing that since former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, joined the party, he has been inundated with calls from across the country.

He said, “Since El-Rufai joined the SDP, I have been receiving not less than 100 calls every day from both common citizens and prominent figures indicating their interest in joining the party.”

Naija News reports that Dalung added that while the report about the ministers joining the SDP may be part of ongoing political negotiations, it highlights the growing momentum within the party.

He continued, “The information about 10 ministers under Buhari joining the SDP may be part of the negotiation going on between the party and other political leaders who are coming into the SDP.”

Reflections On Joining SDP And Nigeria’s Political Landscape

Dalung explained why he joined the SDP in 2022, recalling the party’s significant historical role in uniting Nigerians during the early 1990s.

“Before I joined the SDP in 2022, there was a reflection I had about the party. It is the only political party that united Nigerians between 1991 and 1993. It was the only party that won the clearest and fairest election ever conducted in Nigeria,” Dalung stated.

He noted that the SDP was instrumental in uniting Nigerians to elect late MKO Abiola in the 1993 presidential election, a victory that was later annulled.

According to Dalung, the Nigerian state has done justice to the Abiola family by recognizing him, but the same recognition has not been extended to the party with which Abiola contested.

Dalung emphasized the need for the government to apologize to the SDP and restore its assets.

“The government took over the party, its assets, and all the elections. If we are now trying to reconcile and heal the wounds of the past, the government must come out and apologize, return and declare what they took over from the party and also return to the party,” he asserted.

Dalung further called for a posthumous inauguration of MKO Abiola, saying that the government must officially declare him as the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

“The principal person who annulled the election has admitted that Abiola won. Despite that, we want an official declaration that Abiola won the election, and a posthumous inauguration should be accorded to him,” Dalung said.

He also suggested that if this was not possible, Abiola’s name should be included among the list of Nigerian presidents, with all the entitlements given to his family as compensation for the grievous injustice done to him.