EXCLUSIVE: ADC Presidential Campaign Accuses Kwankwaso Of Advancing Tinubu’s Interests Ahead Of 2027 Elections

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections, following his call for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to step aside in favour of Peter Obi.

The council described Kwankwaso’s intervention as an attempt to weaken the opposition and create divisions among politicians seeking to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming presidential election. However, the allegation that Kwankwaso is working for Tinubu has not been independently established.

Kola Ologbondiyan, Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, made the accusations while reacting to comments Kwankwaso reportedly made during an interview on Channels Television. Ologbondiyan questioned why the former Kano governor was calling on an opposition candidate to withdraw from the race rather than concentrating on challenging the incumbent president.

According to the campaign council, Kwankwaso’s demand that Atiku step aside for Obi could complicate efforts to build a united opposition capable of contesting the 2027 presidential election. The council argued that disagreements among opposition figures could benefit the ruling party by weakening their collective challenge.

“Rather than campaigning against President Tinubu, whose administration Nigerians are eagerly working to vote out, Kwankwaso is fixated on Atiku Abubakar,” Ologbondiyan said, according to reports of the statement.

The ADC-PCC spokesman also questioned Kwankwaso’s political motives, suggesting that his intervention could be influenced by personal ambitions beyond the 2027 election. He alleged that the former governor might be positioning himself for future political negotiations, including the 2031 presidential contest.

Ologbondiyan further argued that Kwankwaso’s position appeared inconsistent with the objective of building a broad opposition coalition against the APC. He accused the former governor of directing criticism towards fellow opposition politicians instead of focusing on the policies and record of Tinubu’s administration.

The council went further by alleging that Kwankwaso’s actions resembled political strategies it attributed to the APC, which it said could create confusion within opposition ranks and undermine cooperation among rival political groups. These claims represent the ADC campaign council’s interpretation of Kwankwaso’s political conduct rather than a confirmed account of coordination between him and the ruling party.

The dispute has emerged amid changing political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections. Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and a former presidential candidate, is aligned with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), where Peter Obi is the presidential candidate and Kwankwaso is the vice-presidential candidate, according to reports on the emerging political arrangement.

Atiku, meanwhile, is the presidential candidate associated with the ADC. The competing political arrangements have brought renewed attention to the question of whether opposition parties and their leading figures can agree on a common strategy for challenging Tinubu at the polls.

The ADC-PCC also rejected the suggestion that Atiku would require Kwankwaso’s political support to win Kano State, which has long been regarded as the former governor’s principal political stronghold. Ologbondiyan maintained that the ADC candidate could secure votes in the state without relying on Kwankwaso’s endorsement.

To support his argument, the spokesman referred to the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, citing the victories of former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kano as examples of presidential candidates winning support in the state without Kwankwaso’s backing.

Ologbondiyan also contrasted Atiku’s longstanding political relationships across Nigeria with Kwankwaso’s influence in Kano. He argued that Atiku’s experience in national politics could help him build a coalition extending beyond one state or geopolitical zone.

The campaign council further cited Kwankwaso’s fourth-place finish in the 2023 presidential election as part of its argument that his influence in Kano should not automatically be equated with the ability to secure nationwide electoral support.

However, the political influence of individual candidates and the potential impact of endorsements remain matters of debate ahead of the next election. Past electoral results do not, by themselves, determine how voters will behave in 2027, and the eventual outcome will depend on several factors, including party organisation, campaign strategies, voter participation and public attitudes towards the candidates.

The ADC-PCC also criticised what it described as repeated political repositioning by Kwankwaso, referring to his movement across different political platforms over the years. Ologbondiyan argued that these changes raised questions about the former governor’s long-term political objectives and the consistency of his alliances.

The council urged Kwankwaso and his supporters to reconsider their position and support Atiku’s candidacy. It maintained that opposition leaders should prioritise cooperation around shared national concerns rather than publicly campaigning for rival opposition figures to withdraw.

The statement also linked the political dispute to broader public concerns about economic hardship, poverty and insecurity. Ologbondiyan argued that opposition parties should focus on presenting alternatives to the current administration and explaining how their policies would address the challenges facing Nigerians.

Kwankwaso’s call for Atiku to step aside for Obi, however, reflects a separate position on how opposition forces could organise themselves ahead of the election. The disagreement illustrates the competing calculations among opposition figures over candidate selection, political alliances and the best route to challenging the incumbent government.

The allegations have added another layer to the political debate ahead of 2027, with the ADC campaign council questioning Kwankwaso’s intentions while defending Atiku’s candidacy. No independent evidence presented in the reports establishes that Kwankwaso is secretly working with Tinubu, and the accusation should therefore be understood as a claim made by the ADC-PCC.

As political parties continue preparing for the general elections, the ability of opposition groups to manage disagreements and communicate their policy positions will remain an important part of the campaign landscape. Voters will ultimately assess the candidates and their programmes based on their own priorities and the information available to them.

Street News Reporters will continue to monitor reactions from Kwankwaso, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the African Democratic Congress and the All Progressives Congress, as well as further developments in the political alignments taking shape ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.