El-Rufai’s fresh meeting with SDP chieftains, others heightens 2027 speculations

Former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has again met with political leaders across different political parties, further fueling speculation about his future political plans.

El-Rufai, who last week met with the national chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Musa Gabam, on Sunday, had another meeting at the Abuja residence of Senator Abubakar Gada, a chieftain of the SDP, and other party leaders.

Also present were Senator Teslim Folarin, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate for Oyo State in the 2023 general elections, and Senator Nazif Suleiman, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Bauchi State, as well as Alhaji Aminu DanAgundi, a political heavyweight and kingmaker in Kano State.

This meeting at Senator Gada’s home in Abuja on Sunday night comes shortly after El-Rufai hosted a gathering at his Abuja residence, which included the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam (a chieftain of the APC), Shehu Musa Gabam, and others, for a Ramadan iftar (the breaking of fast). El-Rufai also visited Gabam at the SDP secretariat.

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While photos from these visits have sparked various reactions on social media, with many speculating about El-Rufai’s potential presidential bid in 2027, his media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, has denied any political motives behind the visits.

Adekeye stated that the speculations were merely an “unhealthy obsession with politics,” emphasizing that personal relationships can exist independently of political affiliations.

He also noted that El-Rufai is known for being open and forthright, suggesting that if he had any political decisions to announce, they would not be shrouded in secrecy.

Daily Trust, however, gathered that there are ongoing talks about ‘a merger of a different kind’ ahead of the 2027 general elections. The merger is said to be different from the one clamoured for by former vice president and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, and the one being canvassed by the National Consultative Front (NCFront) led by Prof. Pat Utomi to bring the opposition parties together.

But Adekeye insisted that the permutations were mere speculations that should be ignored.