Rabiu Kwankwaso is holding back on his planned move from the New Nigeria Peoples Party to the African Democratic Congress because he has not received firm assurances that Peter Obi will secure the party’s presidential ticket. Multiple insiders within the Kwankwasiya Movement and the ADC confirmed that the former Kano governor’s defection is tied to the proposed 2027 alliance between both men, an arrangement reportedly encouraged by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Committees from both sides met in Abuja to advance the talks, but the meeting ended without a final decision, although another round has been scheduled.
Sources close to Kwankwaso said northern leaders and Obasanjo advised him not to rush into the ADC until the party guarantees Obi’s ticket. They also expressed concerns that certain interests sympathetic to Atiku Abubakar had gained influence within the ADC. The fear within the Kwankwaso camp is that Obi could be used to strengthen Atiku’s path to the ticket, leaving Kwankwaso politically exposed. They insist that wider consultations must be concluded before any move is made, noting that Kwankwaso remains Obi’s major bargaining strength for the ADC presidential nomination. Officials of both the ADC and NNPP declined public comment on the matter.
