Adebayo declares: ‘I will still be SDP’s presidential flag bearer in 2027’ despite defections
On Friday, March 14, 2025, Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), confidently declared that he will remain the party’s flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, Adebayo addressed concerns over the influx of high-profile politicians joining the SDP, asserting that their arrivals would not push him aside.
“I am not worried,” Adebayo said, responding to claims that defectors could potentially challenge his candidacy. “Everybody who is coming into the party knows I will run in 2027. Any coward who will feel threatened by people coming to his party cannot be president,” he added.
Adebayo’s remarks come shortly after the defection of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who recently joined the SDP following his criticisms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his resignation from the party. El-Rufai, along with other notable figures, has been working to attract more politicians to the SDP, but Adebayo made it clear that he was not intimidated by the new arrivals.
