{"id":160836,"date":"2025-04-29T12:17:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T11:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai"},"modified":"2025-04-29T12:17:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T11:17:13","slug":"coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai","title":{"rendered":"Coalition can unseat Tinubu without governors\u2019 backing in 2027 Election \u2013 El-Rufai"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the political coalition he is part of does not require the backing of state governors to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential elections.<\/p>\n<p>In a media chat with journalists in Kano on Monday, El-Rufai, who recently defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), expressed confidence in the coalition\u2019s voter-mobilization strategy, which he says is centered around engaging directly with the electorate, rather than courting political officeholders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are trying to offer Nigerians a real alternative \u2014 something different from what they have seen before,\u201d El-Rufai stated. He emphasized that the power to determine the outcome of elections lies with the people, not political leaders. \u201cA governor has only one vote. Nigerians have many more votes than one governor or even 36 governors combined,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>El-Rufai\u2019s remarks come as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors\u2019 Forum recently rejected any talks of coalition or merger ahead of the 2027 elections. The forum made the decision after a meeting in Ibadan, where the party\u2019s leadership distanced itself from the opposition coalition. The rejection followed a visit by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna, sparking speculations that the PDP governors would align with the new opposition movement.<\/p>\n<p>In the wake of the PDP governors\u2019 decision, some high-profile defections from the party have been witnessed, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and Atiku\u2019s 2023 running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, who recently joined the APC. Despite these setbacks, El-Rufai remains unperturbed, insisting that the coalition\u2019s prospects are not dependent on governors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that one governor from the PDP has defected means nothing. We are not counting on governors to win elections. We are counting on the people,\u201d El-Rufai reiterated. Drawing from his own political experience, he pointed to the 2023 Lagos election, where despite having the support of a sitting governor, President Tinubu lost his home state. \u201cIf the people of Nigeria say they are not with you, it is over,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n<p>El-Rufai\u2019s coalition is focused on providing a genuine alternative to the electorate, rejecting what he termed as the \u201cspent force\u201d of the PDP and the APC, which he claims have been plagued by internal crises. He highlighted that the coalition\u2019s intention is not to merge with the PDP but to build a fresh movement that would inspire hope among Nigerians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not about North or South anymore. It is about survival, unity, and progress. Whoever can deliver that \u2014 wherever they come from \u2014 will have my support,\u201d he declared, emphasizing the need for a leader capable of addressing Nigeria\u2019s existential challenges.<\/p>\n<p>As for the question of potential presidential candidates, El-Rufai noted that discussions about leadership positions within the coalition were premature. \u201cOur focus now is not on selecting candidates. It is on building the platform first,\u201d he stated, urging presidential aspirants to set aside their ambitions for the time being and contribute to the coalition\u2019s foundational work.<\/p>\n<p>El-Rufai also made it clear that the coalition is looking to unite like-minded individuals and groups who are committed to bringing about real change in Nigeria, regardless of their political party affiliations. \u201cWe are not looking at political parties that are already ravaged by internal conflicts. We are building something fresh, something that will inspire hope,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>El-Rufai also stressed the importance of internal democracy within the coalition. \u201cWhat destroyed previous parties in Nigeria is a lack of internal democracy and the stranglehold of godfathers. We want to eliminate that,\u201d he said, reaffirming the coalition\u2019s commitment to ensuring that every voice is heard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Nigeria<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the political coalition he is part of does not require the backing of state governors to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential elections. In a media chat with journalists in Kano on Monday, El-Rufai, who recently defected from the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":160835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[17046,7919,1651,1039,254,945],"class_list":["post-160836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-2027-elections","tag-coalition","tag-el-rufai-2","tag-governors","tag-nigeria","tag-tinubu"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Coalition can unseat Tinubu without governors\u2019 backing in 2027 Election \u2013 El-Rufai - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Coalition can unseat Tinubu without governors\u2019 backing in 2027 Election \u2013 El-Rufai\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press &#8211; Nigeria. Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the political coalition he is part of does not require the backing of state governors to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential elections. In a media chat with journalists in Kano on Monday, El-Rufai, who recently defected from the [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-29T11:17:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Coalition can unseat Tinubu without governors\u2019 backing in 2027 Election \u2013 El-Rufai\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-29T11:17:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai\"},\"wordCount\":631,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1745917793.685845.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2027 Elections\",\"Coalition\",\"El Rufai\",\"governors\",\"Nigeria\",\"Tinubu\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/coalition-can-unseat-tinubu-without-governors-backing-in-2027-election-el-rufai\",\"name\":\"Coalition can unseat Tinubu without governors\u2019 backing in 2027 Election \u2013 El-Rufai - 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