Alleged Rumour Trails Osinbajo Again?

Yemi Osinbajo, former vice president, law professor, and one-time political golden boy, is back in the rumour mill. This time, the talk is that he’s allegedly teaming up with ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), eyeing a 2027 presidential run. But is this a real power move, or just political theater?

For those who may have forgotten, Osinbajo and President Bola Tinubu have a complicated history. Tinubu was instrumental in Osinbajo becoming vice president in 2015, but by 2023, they were rivals for the APC presidential ticket. That move made some Tinubu loyalists see Osinbajo as a “betrayer,” someone who tried to push his former boss aside before he could take the throne.

El-Rufai, on the other hand, has been making headlines for his own reasons. Once a close ally of Tinubu, he recently ditched the APC for the SDP, fuelling speculation about his next political step. With his defection and Osinbajo’s silence on party matters since Tinubu took over, it’s no wonder people are connecting the dots.

But it gets even more interesting. Activist Omoyele Sowore claims that this rumoured Osinbajo-El-Rufai ticket isn’t about defeating Tinubu—it’s about keeping him in power. According to him, the SDP move is a tactical decoy, meant to divide opposition votes in 2027 and clear the way for Tinubu’s re-election. If true, it would be a political chess move worthy of a Nollywood script.

Neither Osinbajo nor El-Rufai has confirmed any of this, which leaves room for wild speculations. Are they really plotting a challenge to Tinubu, or is this all smoke without fire?

One thing is certain: El-Rufai’s defection has set off political ripples, and Osinbajo’s name being thrown into the mix only makes the story juicier. Whether they’re serious about taking on Tinubu or just pawns in a larger game, their actions (or inactions) will tell us more in the coming months.

For now, the rumour mill keeps spinning. If there’s truth to it, we might be looking at an explosive political showdown in 2027. If not, well—Nigerian politics never fails to entertain.