Former Kano State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is currently in a closed-door meeting with the National Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), sources have confirmed, fueling intense speculation about a potential political realignment involving former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 elections.
The meeting comes as the political opposition scrambles to present a united front against President Bola Tinubu, with both the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the newly registered NDC emerging as potential rallying points for disaffected politicians.
Kwankwaso’s current platform, the African Democratic Congress, is engulfed in a deepening leadership crisis that threatens its very participation in the 2027 general elections.
The party recently appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria to fast-track a judgment on its leadership dispute, warning of a “grave and irreversible risk” of exclusion from the polls if the matter is not resolved urgently.
The leadership tussle pits former Senate President David Mark against Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refusing to recognize either faction pending judicial clarity. Legal sources confirm that the Supreme Court reserved judgment on the matter on April 22, 2026, and any further delay could cripple the party’s ability to meet statutory deadlines for the 2027 elections.
For Kwankwaso, who only joined the ADC on March 30, 2026, this protracted legal battle presents a significant liability.
Speculation about a possible Obi-Kwankwaso joint ticket has intensified in recent weeks, with sources indicating that the duo are actively promoting a one-term presidency arrangement to attract northern support.
According to party insiders, the proposal aims to persuade northern stakeholders to back a southern presidency in 2027, with Obi projected to serve a single term if the plan succeeds.
On April 20, supporters of both politicians inaugurated the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement to mobilise support ahead of party primaries, further cementing the perception that the two opposition leaders are moving in lockstep.
The emergence of the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance has deepened divisions within the opposition, with supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar—widely expected to clinch the ADC ticket—engaging in increasingly hostile exchanges with Obi’s “Obidient” movement on social media. In January 2026, Obi was forced to publicly disown verbal attacks on Atiku, insisting that such conduct was alien to his politics. “You have never seen me call anybody a bad name. Atiku is my leader and a very respected elder brother,” Obi said in a viral video.
Despite Obi’s disavowal, the online attacks have persisted, prompting warnings that internal friction could jeopardize opposition unity.
Meanwhile, the NDC has been actively courting both Obi and Kwankwaso. The party has positioned itself as a “clean, uncompromised platform” for Nigerians tired of recycled promises.
In an April 25 post on X, the party signaled what it described as a “limited window” for both politicians to join before its primary deadline. Kwankwaso’s camp has confirmed ongoing talks with both the ADC and the NDC. “It is true that Kwankwaso is in talks with ADC and NDC, and we are optimistic that the leaders will end up adopting one of the parties before the 2027 elections,” a spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement told Daily Trust in March.
With Atiku’s camp consolidating control over the ADC machinery, the increasingly hostile exchanges on social media, and the ADC’s unresolved leadership crisis, defection to the NDC may offer Kwankwaso and Obi a way out of a crowded and fractious primary.
The closed-door meeting in Abuja could determine whether the opposition enters the 2027 race as a united force—or remains fatally divided.
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