Kwankwaso: Obi Will Not Step Down For Atiku; NDC Ready To Win

Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has asserted that his party has no plan to forgo its presidential bid in favour of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, is the running mate to Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, who is up against incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, among other presidential candidates gearing up to contest next year’s presidential election.
Recently, there have been suggestions by political analysts in the country that opposition leaders should form a united front against the ruling party if they want to defeat the incumbent.
For instance, Obi and Abubakar have been advised by some political pundits to step down for each other to give the opposition a better chance of defeating the incumbent, who is running for a second term in office.
But in a post he shared on his verified Facebook page, Kwankwaso said Obi and he would not withdraw from the presidential race in favour of the ADC presidential candidate, describing calls for them to step down as “unnecessary.”
The former governor also accused the ADC of being behind attacks on his party, urging it to concentrate on its campaign instead of launching attacks on him and Obi, the NDC presidential candidate.
He also accused the ADC of planning to mislead NDC supporters on the eve of the election by claiming that the party intended to withdraw its presidential ticket, saying the trick would not work because Nigerians believed strongly in the NDC and would vote massively for the party next year.
He further accused the ADC of planning to mislead Nigerians into believing that the NDC had stepped down from the presidential election.
Kwankwaso said: “I have noted with deep concern the conduct of the ADC campaign team. The attacks directed at me, our presidential candidate, His Excellency Peter Obi, and our party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), are unnecessary and unhelpful.
“The ADC-PCC would be better served directing its energy toward rebutting the serious allegations levelled against their candidate by the Vice President, His Excellency Kashim Shettima, instead of targeting me and His Excellency Peter Obi.
“Let me state clearly and unequivocally: We will not withdraw our candidature for the ADC or any other party. We remain confident in our capacity, competence, and readiness to lead Nigeria.”
The ADC vice-presidential candidate was recently accused by the ADC of working for President Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 election, calling on him and Obi to join forces with the ADC to win the next presidential election.