News Update
Obasanjo Shuns Atiku, Anoints Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket to Topple Tinubu in 2027
The long-rumoured alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 presidential election has received a major boost, with the two former governors now constituting a committee to drive the realisation of a joint ticket under the African Democratic Congress..
A principal official of the ADC disclosed that the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance was originally proposed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to the party official, Obasanjo not only blessed Obi’s defection to the ADC, he also asked the former Anambra State governor to work with Kwankwaso to secure the presidential and vice-presidential tickets of the party.
Obasanjo openly campaigned for Obi in 2023 and mobilised support for him across the country against the All Progressives Congress candidate, now President Bola Tinubu.
The former president, in an open letter dated January 1, 2023, said, “None of the contestants is a saint, but when one compares their character, antecedents, understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality they can bring to bear, and the great effort required to stay focused on the job—particularly looking at where the country is today—and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi, as a mentee, has an edge.”
Kwankwaso, on the other hand, was appointed Minister of Defence by Obasanjo during his second term.
Meanwhile, the former president has not hidden his disapproval of the presidential ambition of his former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.
Currently, Atiku, Obi and a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, are the three presidential aspirants in the ADC, while efforts to get Kwankwaso to join the party are ongoing.
Before his defection to the ADC, Obi had promised to serve a single term if elected President, after which Kwankwaso declared that he was ready to serve as vice-presidential candidate.
A top ADC source told media correspondents that the former president had also been connecting Obi with some northern power brokers to ensure the alliance works out.
“We’re aware of the alliance, though Kwankwaso is not in our party yet. Former President Obasanjo is the one who connected the two of them (Obi and Kwankwaso), and he is committed to their alliance.
“The former president believes in Obi and has been speaking with some northern leaders on the need for them to see reason in the alliance,” said the party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Similarly, one of the leaders of Kwankwasiyya Movement confirmed Obasanjo’s involvement in the proposed alliance, saying the former president initiated the idea.
A credible source in Obi’s camp disclosed that the committee was set up about a month ago with a mandate to strategise on how to achieve the joint ticket.
“We’re no longer at the talking stage; we have moved ahead. A committee has been set up for the alliance and things are taking shape,” the source said.
Confirming the move, the National Legal Adviser of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and a leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Magaji Ibrahim, SAN, said the former governor was ready to work with Obi either as President or Vice President.
Ibrahim, who said he was part of the committee, maintained that the proposed alliance had reached an advanced stage.
“There is ongoing discussion between Kwankwaso and Obi, and a committee is actually in place for the actualisation of the alliance. The committee is from both sides, and I am a member.
“We are ready to work together either for the first or second position. The central point is to salvage the nation,” he added.
Speaking on Kwankwaso’s move to join the ADC, Ibrahim said the party had reached out to the former Kano governor on the matter.
He disclosed that the ADC and the Kwankwasiyya Movement leaders had been holding discussions on the defection plan.
“We are discussing with them (ADC leaders) at the moment. There is a move to meet us, but we’re yet to meet,” he added.
Asked if Kwankwaso would join the ADC if not given the presidential or vice-presidential ticket, Ibrahim said, “I don’t think we can consider anything short of the second position.”
Efforts to reach the media aide to the former president, Kehinde Akinyemi, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or text messages sent to him.
However, the ADC has said it was not aware of any alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso, even as it described such discussions as not unusual.
The spokesperson of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi said “Kwankwaso is yet to join the ADC, but we are more than willing to have him with us. Obi is also a great politician and an asset to the party. However, whatever discussions they are having are outside the party,” he said.
As permutations ahead of 2027 continue to unfold, the proposed Obi–Kwankwaso alliance remains one of the most closely watched political calculations within the opposition space.
Punch
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