Mallam Salihu Moh Lukman, a key strategist in the proposed national political coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections, has described former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as premature.......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
Naija News reports that Lukman, a former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), stated that while discussions with the SDP are ongoing, he would not be joining El-Rufai unless the party meets the coalition’s conditions.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Lukman emphasized that his preference was for a coordinated approach rather than individual defections.
When asked about his position on El-Rufai’s move, Lukman responded: “Only if SDP meets the conditions we have set, which I have highlighted. At the moment, they have not met them. We are in discussion, no doubt about it. If they meet them tomorrow, fine.”
He admitted that El-Rufai’s defection was expected, especially following his recent Arise TV interview, where he had hinted at major political realignments.
However, he believed El-Rufai should have exercised more patience so that the coalition could move together as a unified group.
“My expectation was that he should have been a bit patient for us to walk out as a group based on the current negotiation that is ongoing. But he knows better, and I do hope his decision is not going to become a kind of breakaway from whatever we are doing. My hope is that, in the end, we should be able to reconcile and work together under one platform,” Lukman stated.
When asked whether the coalition would adopt SDP as its official platform for the 2027 elections, Lukman said discussions were ongoing.
However, he pointed out that SDP must agree to certain democratic principles before being accepted.
“The challenge is whether SDP will submit itself to some of the conditions that we believe are necessary. Unlike most conventional politicians who just want a platform to present candidates and win elections, a few of us believe the issue is beyond that,” the former APC Chieftain said.
He stressed that Nigeria needs a political platform that truly promotes competition rather than simply endorsing pre-selected candidates.
Lukman criticized both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for their culture of candidate imposition.
“If you remember, the problem Nigerians had with PDP was the problem of imposition of candidates. When the APC came and promised ‘Change’, Nigerians expected that we would change the culture of imposition. Unfortunately, we have failed in that. In fact, it has become worse,” he said.
According to Lukman, the APC’s internal democracy has deteriorated, making it easy to predict election outcomes within the party.
“If things continue as they are, you can predict that President Asiwaju will become the candidate of APC, and all first-time APC governors will emerge as candidates, whether they are popular in their states or not. You can also predict all legislators at federal and state levels, whether they have performed or not.”
He argued that as long as candidates remain in the “good books” of party leadership, they will secure nominations, regardless of public opinion.
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