2027 : ‘Kwankwaso working for Tinubu’

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of pursuing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests by urging former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race in favour of Peter Obi.

The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, in response to Kwankwaso’s recent interview on Channels Television.

Ologbondiyan described Kwankwaso’s intervention in the opposition’s presidential calculations as self-serving, warning that it could worsen divisions among parties seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general election.

He questioned why the former governor was focusing on opposition leaders instead of challenging the Tinubu administration, which the council accused of failing to address economic hardship, hunger, poverty and insecurity.

“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,” he said.

The ADC-PCC spokesman alleged that Kwankwaso’s position might be influenced by ambitions extending beyond the 2027 election, suggesting that the former governor was more concerned about his political prospects ahead of the 2031 presidential contest than fostering unity among opposition parties.

He also referenced Kwankwaso’s reported description of the vice-president’s office as a “spare tyre”, arguing that the remark, alongside his latest intervention, raised questions about his political intentions.

The council further disputed the suggestion that Kwankwaso’s backing was essential for any presidential candidate seeking to secure victory in Kano State, where the former governor maintains a strong political base.

Ologbondiyan cited the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, arguing that former President Muhammadu Buhari secured victories in Kano without Kwankwaso’s support. He maintained that Atiku could also attract substantial support in the state during the 2027 election.

“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 alleged.

He added that Nigerians would not be distracted by what he described as political manoeuvres intended to weaken opposition parties ahead of the next general election.

The ADC-PCC spokesman also questioned Kwankwaso’s political consistency, citing his movement across several political platforms over the years.

He traced the former governor’s political journey from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, back to the PDP, and subsequently to the New Nigeria Peoples Party and other opposition platforms, arguing that the movements warranted scrutiny.

Ologbondiyan also challenged Kwankwaso’s claim to significant national political influence, pointing to his fourth-place finish in the 2023 presidential election.

“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.

In contrast, Ologbondiyan portrayed Atiku as a politician with extensive relationships across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, arguing that his national reach would strengthen the ADC’s chances in the forthcoming election.

“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,” he said.

The spokesman also questioned whether Kwankwaso’s support for Obi was motivated by a genuine desire to unite opposition forces, alleging that personal political calculations could be driving the former governor’s position.

“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 said.

Ologbondiyan warned that Kwankwaso’s intervention could undermine efforts to build a united opposition capable of defeating Tinubu in 2027. He urged the former governor and his allies to reconsider their position.

The ADC-PCC also called on Nigerians and the media to reject what it described as an attempt to divert public attention from the Tinubu administration’s performance, insisting that political leaders should concentrate on the country’s economic and security challenges.

“Our campaign, however, invites Kwankwaso and his allies to reconsider their position and support the formidable candidacy of Atiku Abubakar,” Ologbondiyan said.

“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.”