Yunusa Tanko was named national coordinator of Nigeria’s Social Democratic Party’s 2027 presidential campaign on Nov. 11, taking a senior campaign post ahead of the Jan. 16 vote.
He accepted the position during the party’s Presidential Campaign Council inauguration at its secretariat in Abuja on Nov. 11. Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for Jan. 16, 2027.
In footage of the event, Tanko said he submitted his resignation on Oct. 30 as political adviser for Northern Nigeria to Peter Obi, a former Labour Party presidential candidate. He also said he had contacted Obi and Seriake Dickson, leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), about his decision.
Tanko called the SDP “a left-wing political party” and said it represented “the interests of the downtrodden.” He said his relationship with the party’s presidential candidate dated to 2023. He made those remarks during his acceptance speech.
