2027: ADC PCC faults Kwankwaso’s call on Atiku to step down for Obi

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has criticised Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso over his call for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step down in favour of Peter Obi.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Kwankwaso’s comments during an interview on Channels Television were self-serving and capable of weakening opposition unity ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Ologbondiyan said opposition leaders should focus on strengthening the opposition rather than undermining one another.

He said Atiku Abubakar would win Kano State in the 2027 presidential election with or without Kwankwaso’s support, adding that factors such as the economy, security and the cost of living would influence voters’ decisions.

He recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari won Kano in the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections without Kwankwaso’s support.

Ologbondiyan said Kwankwaso’s position was curious, given his alignment with Peter Obi and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), adding that his comments appeared to benefit the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He added that history did not support the assumption that Kwankwaso’s political influence was indispensable to any presidential candidate seeking victory in Kano.

Citing the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, Ologbondiyan reiterated that Buhari secured victories in Kano despite not enjoying Kwankwaso’s support, arguing that Atiku could equally win the state in 2027.

“What Kwankwaso is doing amounts to advancing President Tinubu’s interests. It is a familiar APC strategy to use willing collaborators within the opposition to create confusion, sow division and weaken the collective efforts to bring about political change.

“Nigerians are wiser than that and will not allow themselves to be distracted by political manoeuvres designed to rescue an unpopular administration,” he said.

Ologbondiyan further accused Kwankwaso of having a history of political manoeuvring that, in his view, placed personal ambition above the collective interests of opposition parties.

He alleged that Kwankwaso’s latest intervention was less about strengthening Obi’s presidential prospects than positioning himself for future political negotiations ahead of 2031.

“Nigerians are not fooled. There is a growing perception that Kwankwaso’s support for Peter Obi is driven more by his personal ambition than by a genuine commitment to the opposition’s collective objective of defeating the APC.

“He appears to believe that by pushing the South-east narrative, he can position himself for a future bargain with the ruling party. It is an old-style political calculation that Nigerians are increasingly unwilling to accept,” Ologbondiyan stated.

The ADC-PCC spokesman also questioned Kwankwaso’s political trajectory, citing his movement across different political platforms as evidence of what he described as persistent political repositioning.

“From the PDP to the APC, back to the PDP, then to the NNPP, the ADC, and now the NDC, Kwankwaso’s political journey calls for serious reflection. His latest interventions appear to be taking him back into the political shadows of the APC,” he said.

Contrasting the political profiles of Atiku and Kwankwaso, Ologbondiyan described the former Vice-President as a nationally established politician with extensive political networks across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

He argued that Atiku’s longstanding political relationships across regional, ethnic and religious divides placed him in a stronger position to build a winning national coalition in 2027.

“Atiku Abubakar is a cosmopolitan, detribalised and nationally recognised political figure who has built relationships across the North, South, East and West over more than three decades.

“Kwankwaso, on the other hand, has concentrated much of his political strength within Kano State. His ability to translate that regional influence into broad national electoral success remains a major question,” Ologbondiyan said.

He further argued that Kwankwaso had overstated his political relevance, pointing to his fourth-place finish in the 2023 presidential election as evidence that his influence had not translated into the level of national support required to win the presidency.

“Kwankwaso must come to terms with the realities of the national political landscape. His influence should not be confused with the capacity to win a presidential election.

“If his political relevance were as extensive as he suggests, why did he finish fourth in the last presidential election?” he queried.

Ologbondiyan added that the ADC-PCC was concerned about the implications of Kwankwaso’s approach for Obi and the leadership of the NDC, arguing that Atiku’s national political networks would support his bid for victory.

He said the ADC-PCC viewed the intervention as an attempt to create division within the opposition.

Ologbondiyan urged Nigerians and the media to remain focused on rallying behind Atiku Abubakar and the ADC, and invited Kwankwaso and his allies to support the candidacy.

He said the task before opposition leaders was to unite to rescue the country.