A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has said President Bola Tinubu has planted his men everywhere ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to him, the.move shows how smart Tinubu is compared to his challengers.

Igbokwe shared on Facebook, "The truth is that those who want to challenge PBAT in 2027 are not as smart as he is . Before he even stepped into Aso Villa he had started planning for 2027. His challengers may not know that the Apamaku of had already planted his men everywhere."

Igbokwe's post comes amid the defection of a former Tinubu ally, ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Following the defection, El-Rufai's son reacted to claims that Tinubu already has moles in the SDP.

In a post on X, he said the moles cannot sabotage the party as was witnessed with the Labour Party (LP).

He said, "Conspiracy theories flying about Pablo’s former ties with SDP, then that must mean he/they have moles within the party already to sabotage the process.

"It is lie. This is not Labor Party. They cannot pull it off."

Bashir said this after Igbokwe said Tinubu is the owner of the SDP.

Igbokwe also recalled that Tinubu contested a senatorial seat on the platform of the SDP in 1993.

He added, "If indeed SDP is still alive and kicking in Nigeria then know the truth and have inner peace: PBAT is the owner. Ignore him to your own peril. I remember our SDP of 1993 and the late Chief MKO Abiola."

Meanwhile, El-Rufai has said he's now focused on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join the party and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections between now and 2027.

Citing reasons for dumping the APC, he said, “Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party.

“At this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish.”

ASA