The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, of advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests by asking the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to step down for Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso is on the NDC joint ticket as vice-presidential candidate to Obi, who is flying the NDC flag as presidential candidate.
The council described Kwankwaso’s call as “reckless, self-serving” and an attempt to divide the opposition, insisting that Atiku could win Kano State in 2027 with or without the support of the former Kano governor.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this while reacting to Kwankwaso’s interview on Channels Television, accusing him of focusing on opposition leaders instead of challenging the Tinubu administration.
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“Rather than campaigning against President Tinubu, whose administration Nigerians are eagerly working to vote out, Kwankwaso is fixated on Atiku Abubakar, the ADC candidate, whom millions of Nigerians believe can restore economic stability and make life affordable again,” Ologbondiyan said.
He questioned Kwankwaso’s motives, suggesting that his intervention was driven by personal ambition and calculations ahead of the 2031 presidential election.
“Having reportedly described the office of the vice president as a ‘spare tyre’, he appears more concerned about positioning himself for the 2031 presidential election rather than addressing the urgent challenges confronting Nigerians today,” he said.
Ologbondiyan alleged that Kwankwaso’s position was more beneficial to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) than to the opposition, accusing him of attempting to create confusion and weaken efforts to unseat Tinubu.
“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,” he said.
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The ADC-PCC spokesman, however, dismissed suggestions that Kwankwaso’s support was indispensable to winning Kano, citing the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, when former President Muhammadu Buhari secured victories in the state despite not enjoying Kwankwaso’s support.
He argued that Atiku’s political networks across the country placed him in a stronger position to build a national coalition, contrasting the former vice president’s political reach with Kwankwaso’s influence in Kano.
“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 also cited Kwankwaso’s fourth-place finish in the 2023 presidential election as evidence that his regional influence had not translated into a national electoral victory.
“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 further questioned Kwankwaso’s political trajectory, citing his movement across different parties 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.
The ADC-PCC also expressed concern over the implications of Kwankwaso’s position for Obi and the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), alleging that his support for Obi was driven by personal ambition rather than a genuine commitment to opposition unity.
The council urged Kwankwaso and his allies to reconsider their position and support Atiku, whom it described as its preferred candidate to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
“Atiku remains our preferred pathway to defeating President Tinubu and ending the hunger, poverty and insecurity that the APC administration has foisted on our nation.
“The task before opposition leaders is not to undermine one another for personal political advantage but to unite around the urgent national mission of rescuing Nigeria,” Ologbondiyan concluded.