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 aside for Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Kola Ologbondiyan, Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, described Kwankwaso’s position as reckless and self-serving, alleging that it was aimed at advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests.
In a statement on Friday, Ologbondiyan said he was responding to Kwankwaso’s interview on Channels Television, accusing the former Kano State governor of targeting opposition leaders rather than challenging the Tinubu administration.
Atiku is the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Ologbondiyan expressed confidence that Atiku would secure Kano State, Kwankwaso’s home state, even without the NDC vice-presidential candidate’s support. He argued that hardship, hunger, poverty and insecurity would shape voters’ decisions in the election.
He also questioned Kwankwaso’s position, given his political alignment with Obi and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), arguing that opposition figures seeking to unseat the incumbent government should focus on building a stronger opposition rather than criticising one another.
“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 further alleged that Kwankwaso was more concerned about his future presidential ambition than Nigeria’s immediate challenges.
“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,” Ologbondiyan said.
The ADC-PCC spokesman also disputed the suggestion that Kwankwaso’s political influence was essential to winning Kano, citing the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, when former President Muhammadu Buhari won the state without Kwankwaso’s support.
He maintained that Atiku could achieve a similar result 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 repeatedly prioritising personal political ambition over the collective interests of opposition parties. He alleged that Kwankwaso’s latest intervention was less about improving Obi’s chances in 2027 than positioning himself for political negotiations ahead of the 2031 election.
