ADC Presidential Campaign Accuses Kwankwaso of Working for Tinubu Ahead of 2027 Elections

The council made the allegation while reacting to Kwankwaso’s call on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step down for Peter Obi, describing the statement as reckless and self-serving.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, of advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The council made the allegation while reacting to Kwankwaso’s call on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step down for Peter Obi, describing the statement as reckless and self-serving.

Atiku is the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, while Kwankwaso is the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

In a statement on Friday, the council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Kwankwaso’s position, expressed during an interview on Channels Television, showed that he was more interested in undermining opposition leaders than challenging Tinubu’s administration.

Ologbondiyan said Atiku would win Kano State, Kwankwaso’s home state, with or without the former governor’s support, adding that economic hardship, hunger, poverty and insecurity would influence voters’ decisions.

He questioned Kwankwaso’s position, given his political alignment with Obi and the NDC, arguing that opposition figures should focus on building a stronger alliance to defeat the ruling party.

“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.

Ologbondiyan also accused Kwankwaso of focusing on the 2031 presidential election rather than addressing the country’s immediate challenges.

“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,” he said.

The ADC campaign council said Kwankwaso’s actions raised questions about his political intentions for 2027, alleging that his position was more beneficial to the ruling All Progressives Congress than to opposition candidates.

Ologbondiyan also disputed the suggestion that Kwankwaso’s political influence was essential to winning Kano State, citing the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, when former President Muhammadu Buhari secured victories in the state despite not having Kwankwaso’s support.

He maintained that Atiku could achieve a similar outcome 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 prioritising personal ambition over the collective interests of opposition parties, alleging that his latest intervention was aimed at positioning himself for future political negotiations ahead of 2031.