Campaign Council accuses him of plotting to divide opposition, insists Atiku will win Kano with or without his support.
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has berated Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso over his call for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step down for Mr. Peter Obi. The council described the statement as reckless, self-serving, and a desperate attempt to advance President Bola Ahmed 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 recent interview on Channels Television. He accused the former Kano State governor of focusing on opposition leaders rather than confronting the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, which Nigerians are desperate to vote out.
Ologbondiyan declared that Atiku Abubakar would win Kano State—Kwankwaso’s home state—in the 2027 presidential election with or without Kwankwaso’s support. He stressed 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 opposition. He argued that, as a leader seeking to unseat the incumbent government, Kwankwaso’s priority should be building a stronger opposition rather than attempting to undermine another opposition figure.
“Rather than campaigning against President Tinubu, whose administration Nigerians are eagerly working to vote out, Kwankwaso is fixated on Atiku Abubakar, 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 raises questions about his actual political preferences for 2027, suggesting his actions appear more beneficial to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) than to any opposition candidate.
Ologbondiyan maintained that history does not support the assumption that Kwankwaso’s political influence is 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.
Ologbondiyan further accused Kwankwaso of having a history of political maneuvering that places personal ambition above the collective interests of opposition parties.
He alleged that Kwankwaso’s latest intervention is less about strengthening Peter Obi’s presidential prospects than about positioning himself for future political negotiations ahead of 2031.
“Nigerians are not fooled. There is a growing perception that Kwankwaso’s actions are driven more by personal ambition than by a genuine commitment to the opposition’s collective objective of defeating the APC,” he added.
