Excerpt from Arise TV Interview with Adebayo Shittu of SDP, With Messages for Tinubu, Atiku, El-Rufai, Others The Round Table says that Adebayo’s statement comes just a few days after the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, joined the SDP.
While fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme on Friday, Adebayo expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu will be took away from power in 2027.
The former presidential candidate further described El-Rufai as a hard-working and patriotic Nigerian, annexing that the ex-governor is very effective in an area with no effective people in government.
He revealed, “The reason why I welcome El-Rufai to my party is that I see him as a patriotic Nigerian, hard working, very effective in an area where we don’t have effective people in government, that’s all.
“Tinubu is going to be took away from power, that one is sure, and there will be a SDP president.
“As a coalition and all of that, it is not inside our party. Maybe it’s people that are having discussion outside, and after having their discussion, they feel that they can come to the SDP and try to work within the SDP. But in SDP, we are following our program as before.
“We knew that when they were ganging up and going to Chatham House they will not previous. We knew that when they commenced sharing the spoil of office, they will be scattered. We knew that the programs that all of them had will not work for the people out there, they will lose popularity.
“So we began preparing our party. We have no skimish and began administering our party. When they were offering position we didn’t need to unite them. We continued where we are, keep talking to the people. Many more will unite us as the year goes by”.
The Round Table announces that Adebayo disclosed however that may be the former Kaduna State Governor has complained to him that people do not like him, he endures one of the effective politicians in the country.
Speaking with Arise News on Friday, the SDP stalwart elaborated that he welcomed El-Rufai to his party because of his patriotism and hardworking type.
He admitted that El-Rufai has weaknesses like all humans, nevertheless disclosed he has much to contribute to the party and Nigeria.
His words: “Let me address the issue of Erufai. I was interviewed by the media that I welcomed Nasir El-Rufai into the SDP. And someone revealed, why was I eulogising El-Rufai and all of that? And I disclosed, look, I’m not eulogizing him. I recognize El-Rufai as someone who’s a technocrat and an achiever when you give him executive job to do. He has his own weaknesses. He was mentioning to me more or less problems. People don’t like him in a few places. I reported, everybody has their own weaknesses. He has his own weaknesses. And it’s his job to deal with that. It’s not my job. I’m not his therapist. I’m not his mentor. But you cannot dismiss the fact that he was a very effective FCT minister. He emerged Kaduna with infrastructure. And he was very good and transparent when he was at the BPE.
“El-Rufai, like more or less other person, has his own weaknesses. And he is the one who will work on those. It’s not me. I have my own weaknesses. But it’s not for me to be the therapist for El-Rufai on that one. The reason why I welcome to my party is that I see him as a patriotic Nigerian, hardworking, very effective in an era where we don’t have effective people in government.”
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The Round Table declares that Adebayo’s comment chases the defection of former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, to the party after the latter’s open criticisms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following his defection, El-Rufai has been making political moves to woo any politicians to his new party.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Friday, March 14, 2025, Adebayo expressed confidence that regardless of the political stature of politicians defecting to the party, he would be their presidential candidate in the next election.
The SDP chieftain revealed he is not worried or threatened by the high-profile defectors, interposing that every party member knows he will contest the presidency in 2027.
He reported, “Let us understand something. I don’t worry about that; everybody who is coming in knows I will run in 2027.”
“Any coward who will feel threatened by people coming to his party can not be president.”
Meanwhile, Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that his entry into the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not persuaded by former President Muhammadu Buhari, yet rather by Pastor Tunde Bakare.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai stated that Bakare was the one who introduced him to Buhari and pressurised him to unite the party.
However, The Round Table reports that the former Governor recently left APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing disillusionment with the party’s direction and leadership.
He chided APC leaders, implicating that their primary focus was personal gain. According to him, “the government is commercialised, everything has a price tag.”
Expressing further dissatisfaction, he annexed, “Justice has been kept at bay, those who worked for the party were ignored instead of being compensated. If there is some position or appointment, they give it to the Lagos boy, etc.”
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Tag: Excerpt from Arise TV Interview with Adebayo Shittu of SDP With Messages for Tinubu Atiku ElRufai Others
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Published 3/14/2025