Plans for a proposed alliance between the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, ahead of the 2027 presidential election have reached an advanced stage.
Findings by Sunday Punch revealed that Obi and Kwankwaso have jointly set up a committee to actualise a joint presidential ticket under the African Democratic Congress.
A principal official of the ADC disclosed that the Obi–Kwankwaso alliance was initiated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to the party official, Obasanjo not only endorsed Obi’s defection to the ADC but also encouraged the former Anambra State governor to work with Kwankwaso to secure the party’s presidential and vice-presidential tickets.
Obasanjo openly campaigned for Obi during the 2023 general election, mobilising nationwide support against the All Progressives Congress candidate, now President Bola Tinubu.
In an open letter dated January 1, 2023, Obasanjo had said, “None of the contestants is a saint, but when one compares their character, antecedents, understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality they can bring to bear… Peter Obi, as a mentee, has an edge.”
Kwankwaso also enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Obasanjo, having been appointed Minister of Defence during the former president’s second term.
Currently, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Obi and a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, are the leading presidential aspirants within the ADC, while efforts are ongoing to formally bring Kwankwaso into the party.
Before his defection to the ADC, Obi had pledged to serve only a single term if elected president, a position that reportedly paved the way for Kwankwaso’s willingness to serve as vice-presidential candidate.
Although Kwankwaso is yet to officially join the ADC, Sunday Punch gathered that the alliance has already commenced, following Obasanjo’s intervention.
A top ADC source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Obasanjo had also been linking Obi with key northern political stakeholders to strengthen the proposed alliance.
The source said, “We’re aware of the alliance, though Kwankwaso is not in our party yet. Former President Obasanjo is the one who connected the two of them, and he is committed to their alliance.
“The former president believes in Obi and has been speaking with some northern leaders on the need for them to see reason in the alliance.”
Similarly, a leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement confirmed Obasanjo’s involvement, noting that the former president personally mooted the idea.
“The former President is involved. In fact, he mooted the idea, and we are happy to be on track,” the source said.
