Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau has declared that efforts to position the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as a viable challenger to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections are “dead on arrival.”
Barau made the statement on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving key SDP figures—including the party’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Yusufu Buhari, and Kano State governorship candidate, Bala Mohammed Gwagwarawa—who formally defected to the APC. The mass defection also included the entire Kano State SDP Working Committee, 38 local government chairmen and secretaries, 13 House of Assembly candidates, and six House of Representatives candidates.
Describing the wave of defections as a major political setback for former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who recently joined SDP, Barau emphasized that attempts to build a formidable opposition against the APC in 2027 have already crumbled.
“People have rejected that invitation. Those already in the SDP are now moving to our party, the APC. The SDP is going to be empty,” Barau stated, adding that the mass defection signals the failure of SDP’s bid to challenge APC dominance.
He assured the defectors of fair treatment within the APC but urged them to be active in party affairs to gain recognition.
Representing APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Deputy National Chairman (South) Chief Emma Eneukwu described the defection as a transition “from darkness to light,” reinforcing APC’s role as a pillar of transformative governance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Former Kano South Senatorial District representative, Kabir Gaya, praised Barau’s role in unifying the APC in Kano State and beyond, highlighting the party’s growing dominance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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