Obi, Kwankwaso Defection Shakes Opposition Coalition
Fresh divisions have emerged within Nigeria’s fragmented opposition bloc over plans to field a consensus presidential candidate against President Bola Tinubu in 2027, with key parties and figures publicly distancing themselves from the proposal even as loyalists of former Anambra Governor Peter Obi and former Kano Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso push for a unified southern ticket.
The crack deepened following the formal defection of Obi and Kwankwaso from the African Democratic Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Abuja, a move that has significantly reshuffled opposition dynamics ahead of the election cycle.
Associates of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party in 2025 and moved to the ADC, insist the coalition project remains alive despite the exits. “For us, nothing has changed. The coalition idea is still relevant today,” one ally told The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, adding that Obi and Kwankwaso “were not forced off the train. They got off themselves.”
However, multiple opposition parties have flatly rejected the consensus candidate proposal. The National Leader of the NDC, Seriake Dickson, said bluntly: “We are not ready to discuss anything on the opposition fielding a single presidential candidate for the 2027 election for now.”
National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, while affirming the shared goal of removing Tinubu, emphasised flexibility over a fixed arrangement. “Whatever we have to do legally, whatever we have to do to win this election either as a party or an alliance of parties, we will do,” he said.
The Accord Party denied involvement in discussions held at a recent Ibadan summit where the consensus proposal was reportedly tabled. A faction of the ADC led by Nafiu Bala Gombe similarly disowned the outcome, describing the Ibadan gathering as “the reunion of former members of the Peoples Democratic Party, aligning with aggrieved or disgruntled individuals.”
Labour Party spokesman Ken Asogwa stated the party is focused on its national convention. “If there is a need for us in future to be in coalition with other political parties, we will inform Nigerians.” Abia State Governor Alex Otti confirmed LP’s absence from the arrangement.
Amid the disagreements, supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso are championing a southern presidency. The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, argued: “Once you have a southern president, it simply means that even if there is going to be a replacement for the existing president, it should come from the south.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the Obi Kwankwaso Movement, Justin Ijeh, defended zoning as a “pragmatic approach to balanced representation and equity in a multipolar society like Nigeria.”
With the 2027 election still two years away, the opposition’s ability to present a united front remains deeply uncertain.