Johnson Ayantunji 
There is rumpus in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following the defection of the former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El – Rufai, from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to take out the APC come 2027.
This is even as there is an attempt by another coalition to look for a fallback position if the much talked about coalition or mega party does not work.
It would be recalled that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), last month announced that he has parted ways with the ruling APC on which platform he served eight years as the governor of Kaduna State. Since then, he has told whoever cared to listen that he was done with the APC and that he had pitched his tent with SDP to assume the position of opposition and to take out the APC with other people of like minds.
He said he is no longer aligning with APC, and now doing his best to ensure that his own beat is cut off.
Those who should know said that there has been some disquiet in the SDP since El-Rufai formally pitched his tent with the party.
“As I am talking to you, his defection to SDP is problematic. There are people in the party, who will not welcome him. There are people in the party who believe that he is coming to cause confusion,” volunteered one of the Sources, who confided in the Sunday Telegraph.
“The general consensus is that they feel they will fight the presidency; those who are with them are also saying that it is dead on arrival with the platform he has chosen.”
The Source said that when El-Rufai and his group joined the SDP, the President’s handlers were actually backslapping, that it was not enough that he cannot single headedly leave the party two years to the election and expect he would become the main opposition party. He is just going to be dead on arrival.
Further, the newspaper learnt that some movements are also going on to ensure that some people within the party are ensuring that he does not become the dominant person in the party.
“Like today (Thursday), Peter Obi was in Bauchi; to meet with Governor Bala Mohammed and it is also part of the on-going attempt to fight the APC. Their Co – travelers believe that the SDP cannot be the party. They are looking at the possibility of asking Obi to come back to the PDP,” another source said.
The Source continued: “He is under intense pressure. The condition, if you listened to the Ohanaeze Ndigbo yesterday (Wednesday), they said that they do not want to play second fiddle. They have told him that any party he wants to go to, he should ask for the main ticket.
“You know in politics, there are negotiations and there are negotiations. They are saying that now, the El Rufai gambit is not going to be as easy as he thought. There are schisms in SDP already because of his coming to the party. Some people believe that the big party is responsible for the resistance. He is already causing disquiet in the party. That is not an option. I can assure that some people, who are part of the coalition, will not be comfortable with the SDP even as a platform. The fallback position is to see the possibility of whether they will reinvigorate the PDP again, because El-Rufai got to SDP to test the water. But from all indications, there will be feedback too, which has not been positive.
“They are looking at some other options, including forming a new party and giving PDP a breath of fresh air. The challenge is that there will be memoranda that they want the ticket and of course, Atiku Abubakar too is bent on running again. So many things are going on.
“They are no longer looking at the man in Ibadan, because they feel that he is playing the game of the tenant of Aso Villa. One of their key persons they looked at before seems to be aligning with the APC.”
To put paid to the fact that El – rufai was on his own; former Muhammadu Buhari indirectly disowned El rufai through a statement when he said that he would not leave the party that gave him two terms of four year each as the president of the nation. El rufai had said that he sought Buhari’s blessing before he defected from the APC.
“Buhari has issued an indirect statement without mentioning names. He said that he remains in APC and would like to be addressed as one of the leaders of APC. You know what that means. He is indirectly telling El Rufai you are on your own.”
Some people believe that Seyi Tinubu is part of the new coalition, because of the role he played in the last election, in spite of everything, when reporters asked him whom he voted for, he said that he voted for equity and fairness. Now that it is clear that a coalition other than PDP and SDP is in the making, for now, what is important is that there is an attempt to make the governor of Bauchi leave the PDP for the SDP.
There was a meeting with Peter Obi on Thursday; the game plan is that Peter Obi was there to see if they could work together. He (Obi) would be the presidential candidate, while the governor would be the Vice-Presidential candidate on another platform other than the PDP. Some people are also saying that they are looking at the possibility of making Obi run on the platform of the PDP. Peter Obi is under pressure from his own coalition, his handlers that he cannot change from being a presidential candidate to being a running mate in any arrangement. Whatever arrangement, whatever coalition, he should ask for the presidential ticket. The argument is that with him as the presidential candidate, he came third. They are saying that from the presidential candidate, you cannot stoop low and think that you want to run as a vice presidential candidate.”
The parley in Bauchi was a way of the Obi Group trying to look at the possibility of working with the Governor of Bauchi State. People believe he has a major influence in the PDP. Indeed, some people believe that he may have leverage with El-rufai going into the SDP. They are looking at two things: If PDP cannot fly, they would all go SDP. The handlers of the president believe that they would prefer them going into the SDP as that would be a piece of cake. There would be a lot of confusion there.”
Meanwhile, there is an attempt at another coalition to look for a fall-back position if the coalition does not work. It is being guided by Peter Obi. That is what took him to Bauchi.
With the SDP gambit, some people who are a little bit uncomfortable with the SDP platform believe that they can work out something with the PDP. This is because The NNPP (New Nigeria People’s Party) and the Labour Party would coalesce into one umbrella.
That would also have its own challenge as Atiku Abubakar too has the first refusal of offer via the PDP route.
There is another sub group which came into being. What this means is that it would serve as a special purpose vehicle which would come in as an option B if all others fail. If option A, which is the PDP does not work, they would go to SDP with LP as Option B, which is also grappling with its own crisis.
They are talking and very soon, some people in APC who feel that they have been signed like Elrufai will also come out to join them.
Those in APC are saying that whatever they give, they are on top of their game.
In Kaduna State, their anchor-man is the Governor, Uba Sani. He is also doing a lot of politicking, particularly, among the youths.
During this Ramadan, he alongside Seyi Tinubu, have been going around dancing to songs by a musician in the name of Iftar.
“They have been holding a mini rally. They believe whatever game the coalition plays, the President is well and able to beat it.
The president is holding steady in the South West. In the South South, his handlers are not doing badly, even in the South East, with Minister of Works, Dave Umahi as the point man and the governor of Imo State networking for Mr President in that axis.
They believe that the President’s second term is as sure as the daylight because of what El-Rufai is saying and to pay him back in his own coin. They want to paint him as a serial betrayer and someone who jumps ship when things are not going his way.
