Hopes of a united opposition front to stop President Bola Tinubu in 2027 collapsed dramatically on Sunday as Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso declared war on merger talks.
The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, and former Kano governor, slammed the door shut on the much-hyped single-candidate plan, saying Peter Obi will never withdraw for Atiku Abubakar or Rotimi Amaechi.
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We Will Not Step Down For ADC — Kwankwaso Fires
Kwankwaso, in a fiery post on his X handle, said the reports that he and Obi were planning to quit and endorse the African Democratic Congress, ADC, ticket were pure fiction and political blackmail.
“Let me state clearly and unequivocally: we will not withdraw our candidature for the ADC or any other party,” he thundered.
“We remain confident in our capacity, competence, and readiness to lead Nigeria.”
“The OK ticket is neither working for nor acting on behalf of the APC or any of its candidates. We see no possibility or reason to withdraw from the presidential race in favour of the ADC candidate or any other. These claims are unfounded and should be treated as such.”
He accused the ADC Presidential Campaign Council of launching needless attacks on him, Obi and the NDC to cover up for its own crisis.
How The Big Merger Dream Collapsed
The drama goes back to 2019 when Obi was Atiku’s running mate under the PDP before they split ahead of 2023. Atiku kept the PDP ticket, Obi flew the Labour Party flag — both lost to Tinubu.
Ahead of 2027, Atiku defected to the ADC, with Amaechi as his running mate, while Obi’s supporters also initially moved to the ADC before Obi stormed out to join the NDC and picked Kwankwaso as his deputy.
A G-100 group convened by former DG of Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, had been pushing for a grand alliance of six parties to produce one candidate against Tinubu on January 16, 2027.
Lukman boasted: “The G-100 would come out and tell Nigerians this is the direction, and everybody will queue.”
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But the plan has hit a brick wall as neither Atiku nor Obi wants to step aside.
ADC Hits Back: Kwankwaso Is Working For APC!
The crack widened as the ADC accused Kwankwaso of secretly working for the ruling APC by constantly attacking Atiku instead of holding Tinubu’s government accountable.
ADC-PCC Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, dismissed Kwankwaso’s statement as diversionary.
“Why is Senator Kwankwaso making our candidate the issue instead of confronting the ruling APC?” Ologbondiyan queried.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the ADC cannot and will not be distracted by Senator Kwankwaso,” he said, alleging that Kwankwaso was attacking the ADC to curry favour with the ruling party.
Kwankwaso, however, fired back that both APC and ADC have failed to offer Nigerians a real alternative. He described the Obi/Kwankwaso ticket as the only credible force with massive support in the North and South, promising to tackle insecurity, education, agriculture, healthcare and the economy.
With both camps trading bullets, the dream of a single opposition candidate against Tinubu now hangs by a thread.
