2027: ADC Accuses Kwankwaso of Advancing Tinubu’s Political Interests

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of working in favour of President Bola Tinubu’s political interests following his call for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step aside for Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The council warned that such a position could widen divisions within the opposition and undermine efforts to build a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegation in a statement issued on Friday in response to Kwankwaso’s interview with Channels Television.

During the interview, the former governor discussed the opposition’s chances in the 2027 election and the possibility of political arrangements among opposition figures.

Ologbondiyan questioned why Kwankwaso was urging opposition leaders to make concessions rather than directing his criticism towards Tinubu’s administration.

According to the ADC spokesman, Nigerians are increasingly concerned about the rising cost of living, hunger, poverty and insecurity, which he said should be the primary focus of opposition leaders.

He argued that Kwankwaso’s position appeared to place greater emphasis on Atiku’s political future than on challenging the incumbent administration.

“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 campaign council further questioned Kwankwaso’s motives, alleging that his intervention might be connected to his personal political ambitions beyond the 2027 election.

Ologbondiyan claimed the former governor was more concerned about positioning himself for the 2031 presidential race than helping opposition parties develop a common strategy for the next election.

The ADC-PCC also referred to Kwankwaso’s reported description of the vice-president’s office as a “spare tyre”. It argued that the remark, alongside his call for Atiku to give way to Obi, raised questions about his political priorities.

However, the council rejected the suggestion that Kwankwaso’s influence in Kano State should make him indispensable to the opposition’s electoral prospects.

To support its argument, Ologbondiyan cited the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, claiming that former President Muhammadu Buhari secured victories in Kano without Kwankwaso’s backing.

He maintained that the former governor’s strong political base in the state should not prevent other opposition figures from seeking support there.

“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,” Ologbondiyan alleged.

He further accused Kwankwaso of contributing to divisions within the opposition at a time when parties seeking to unseat the APC would need to resolve their differences and agree on a viable electoral strategy.

The council urged Nigerians not to be distracted by what it described as political manoeuvres aimed at weakening opposition groups before the 2027 polls.

It called on political leaders to concentrate on the economic and security challenges facing the country instead of allowing disagreements over opposition leadership to dominate political discussions.

Ologbondiyan also questioned Kwankwaso’s record of political affiliations, referring to his movements between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC, the PDP again, and subsequently the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and other opposition platforms.

The ADC-PCC argued that these changes raised concerns about the consistency of the former governor’s political alliances.

It also challenged his claim to significant national 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?” the spokesman asked.

The council contrasted Kwankwaso’s political strength in Kano with Atiku’s established relationships across different regions of the country.

According to Ologbondiyan, the former vice-president’s connections across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones could prove important to the ADC’s preparations for the next general 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 genuinely intended to unite opposition parties, alleging that personal ambition could be influencing his position ahead of future political negotiations.

“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.

The ADC-PCC urged Nigerians and the media to pay closer attention to the performance of the Tinubu administration and the challenges confronting citizens, particularly economic hardship, insecurity and the rising cost of living.

Ologbondiyan called on Kwankwaso and his supporters to reconsider their position and back Atiku as the party’s preferred candidate for the 2027 presidential election.

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

The allegations reflect the growing disagreements among opposition figures over candidate selection, political alliances and the strategy needed to challenge the APC in the 2027 presidential election. Kwankwaso’s position, as reported by the campaign council, has become another point of contention in the debate over how opposition leaders should approach the next polls.