Tinubu Owns SDP? Igbokwe Stirs Controversy, Presidency and SDP Speak
A fresh controversy has emerged in Nigeria’s political landscape as Joe Igbokwe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu owns the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Igbokwe made the assertion in a Facebook post, sparking intense reactions across political circles.
“If indeed SDP is still alive and kicking in Nigeria, then know the truth and have inner peace: PBAT (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu) is the owner. Ignore him at your peril,” Igbokwe declared, citing Tinubu’s past association with the party during the 1993 era of Chief MKO Abiola.
Amid the mixed reactions, Igbokwe doubled down on his statement, insisting that Tinubu’s political history with the SDP in the 1990s substantiated his claim.
“President Tinubu was a Senator under SDP in 1993. Go and investigate and verify. He is the owner of SDP,” Igbokwe reiterated.
SDP and Presidency Fire Back
However, the claim was swiftly dismissed by key political figures. The SDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, questioned Igbokwe’s credibility and dismissed his statement outright.
“Who is he? I don’t know him. I also don’t recollect meeting him before. Has he ever held any political office in the country? Maybe he is just running his mouth,” Adebayo said.
The Presidency also refuted the allegations, affirming Tinubu’s exclusive commitment to the APC. Speaking with Punch, the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, categorically denied any link between Tinubu and the opposition party.
“Asiwaju (Tinubu) is a member of APC, a leader of the party, and president on that platform. I have never known him to be leading any other political party. From AD, AC, ACN to APC, he has never moved to SDP,” Bwala stated.
Lukman Confirms Past SDP-Tinubu Ties
Adding another layer to the controversy, former APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, acknowledged that the SDP leadership had an agreement with Tinubu ahead of the APC presidential primary in 2023.
“Some of us raised the issue with the National Chairman of SDP, and he acknowledged that they had an agreement with Asiwaju before the primary of 2023. But now, he doesn’t have any relationship with Asiwaju,” Lukman revealed.
Despite confirming past dealings, Lukman insisted that the SDP now operates independently of Tinubu’s influence and is undergoing restructuring.
“The issue now is for them to open the party up and agree to produce new leadership that will reflect the new set-up from ward to national level. They are resisting that, which is the issue,” he explained.
El-Rufai’s Defection Sparks Concerns
Lukman also weighed in on the recent defection of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to the SDP, arguing that it disrupted ongoing negotiations within the party.
“What Nasir (El-Rufai) has done now has created a new dynamic entirely. Anybody who goes into SDP now will be seen as following El-Rufai. It will look like he is the godfather bringing people into the party,” he stated.
He further argued that El-Rufai should have waited for negotiations to conclude before making his move, stating that a coordinated defection strategy would have been more beneficial.
“That was why I said earlier that he was too much in a hurry with the defection. What we said was to wait and conclude all negotiations so that everybody moves in the same direction at the same time,” he concluded.
The allegations and counterclaims surrounding Tinubu’s purported ties to the SDP have intensified the political discourse, leaving many observers questioning the true dynamics behind the scenes. As the drama unfolds, political analysts predict that the matter could influence realignments within the country’s opposition landscape.
