SDP Appoints Yunusa Tanko to Lead 2027 Presidential Campaign

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) inaugurated a 12,000-member Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on November 11, 2026, to lead grassroots efforts for the January 16, 2027, general election. The party appointed Dr. Yunusa Tanko as National Coordinator, a role designed to merge the party's existing structures with those of presidential candidate Prince Adewale Adebayo into a coordinated electoral machine.

Tanko, a former spokesman and political adviser for Peter Obi, resigned from Obi's circle on October 30, 2026. He also serves as co-chairman of the National Consultative Front, a position he assumed on October 18 following the death of Ghali Na’Abba. In his acceptance speech, Tanko described the SDP as a left-wing, people-oriented party that represents the interests of the downtrodden.

National Chairman Professor Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe urged the council to conduct an issue-based campaign focused on poverty, insecurity, and economic hardship to unseat President Bola Tinubu. Prince Adewale Adebayo criticized the All Progressives Congress for political intolerance, specifically alleging the restriction of opposition campaign materials in Adamawa State. To demonstrate its appeal to experienced leadership, the SDP also highlighted the selection of former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu as its governorship candidate for Nasarawa State.