The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has berated vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, over his call for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step down for NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi
The council described the statement as reckless, self-serving and a desperate attempt to advance President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this while reacting to Kwankwaso’s interview on Channels Television, accusing the former Kano State governor of focusing on opposition leaders rather than confronting the Tinubu’s administration that Nigerians are desperate to vote out.
Ologbondiyan declared that Atiku would win Kano State (Kwankwaso’s home state) in the 2027 presidential election with or without Kwankwaso’s support, stressing that the hardship, hunger, poverty and insecurity confronting Nigerians would ultimately determine their choices at the polls.
He noted that Kwankwaso’s position was particularly curious given his own political alignment with Peter Obi and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), arguing that, as a member of the opposition seeking to unseat the incumbent government, his priority should be building a stronger opposition rather than attempting to undermine another opposition leader.
“Rather than campaigning against President Tinubu, whose administration Nigerians are eagerly working to vote out, Kwankwaso is fixated on Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, whom millions of Nigerians believe can restore economic stability and make life affordable again.
“Why is Kwankwaso so obsessed with Atiku? The answer may lie in his own political calculations.
“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 argued that Kwankwaso’s conduct raised questions about his actual political preferences for 2027, suggesting that his actions appeared more beneficial to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) than supporting any of the opposition candidates.
Ologbondiyan, however, maintained that history did not support the assumption that Kwankwaso’s political influence was indispensable to any presidential candidate seeking victory in Kano.
Citing the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, Ologbondiyan recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari secured victories in Kano despite not enjoying Kwankwaso’s support, arguing that Atiku could equally win the state 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.
