The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign council has accused the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, of undermining the opposition to advance President Bola Tinubu’s re-election chances in 2027.
Kola Ologbondiyan, director of media and publicity of the ADC-PCC, in a statement on Friday, said Kwankwaso had been attacking opposition leaders instead of criticising the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
Ologbondiyan was reacting to Kwankwaso’s recent call for Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, to step down for Peter Obi, the NDC flagbearer, ahead of the 2027 elections.
He described the call as reckless and self-serving, alleging that it was an attempt to divide the opposition for the APC’s benefit.
According to him, Kwankwaso should focus on strengthening the opposition rather than undermining another opposition leader, adding that Atiku would win Kano, the former governor’s home state, with or without his support.
“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.
“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.”
The ADC-PCC spokesperson further alleged that Kwankwaso’s intervention was driven more by personal ambition and calculations for future political negotiations than by a genuine desire to strengthen Obi’s chances.
“He appears to believe that by pushing the South-east narrative, he can position himself for a future bargain with the ruling party. It is an old-style political calculation that Nigerians are increasingly unwilling to accept,” he said.
Ologbondiyan also questioned Kwankwaso’s political consistency, citing his movement across different parties as evidence of what he described as repeated 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.
Contrasting Atiku’s political reach with Kwankwaso’s, Ologbondiyan described the ADC candidate as a nationally established politician with extensive networks across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“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.
“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.”
The ADC-PCC urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as Kwankwaso’s attention-seeking intervention and support Atiku and the ADC’s bid to “rescue, recover and rebuild” the country.
