Political leaders from the North, including former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and ex-presidential candidate Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, met with the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Abuja recently to strategize for the 2027 general elections.


The meeting, described as a strategic session, aimed to unify opposition forces to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the upcoming elections, sources told Daily Trust.


This development follows El-Rufai’s recent denial of rumors suggesting he was planning to leave the APC for an opposition party.


Addressing the speculations on his X account, El-Rufai posted, “Please, disregard the patent lies and rumours about my political affiliation. I have referred the lead peddlers of the fake news for further action by my lawyers.”


Despite his denial, El-Rufai was among the key figures at the meeting, alongside political bigwigs from the PDP, APC, and SDP.


The meeting, convened by SDP National Chairman Shehu Gabam, was part of broader consultations among opposition parties to explore possibilities of forming a merger or coalition against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.


Segun Showunmi, a PDP chieftain and ally of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, revealed details of the gathering on Facebook, describing it as a significant step in building a stronger opposition.


He wrote, “The meeting called by the national chairman of the SDP, Shehu Gabam, had in attendance former governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai; former presidential candidate Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, myself, and others. The meeting was called to review the state of opposition democratic engagement in Nigeria.”


Showunmi noted that the session was geared toward fostering a more robust opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.


In a related development, the Mallam Shekarau-led League of Northern Democrats (NLD) recently hinted at plans to transform into a political party as part of the 2027 election strategy.


As opposition leaders continue their consultations, political watchers are keenly observing whether these efforts will culminate in a united front capable of challenging President Tinubu’s ruling APC.