The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has termed Peter Obi’s and Rabiu Kwankwaso’s withdrawal from its platform as a setback but insists it is not a death blow to the party’s 2027 ambitions.
Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, confirmed this on Monday during an interview with Arise News’ Prime Time program.
Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, and Kwankwaso, who ran on the New Nigeria Peoples Party platform, had temporarily joined with the ADC in an attempt to establish a broad opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Both men have subsequently switched to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, calling for a halt to litigation-driven politics as they prepare for 2027.
Abdullahi accepted the blow but stated that the party’s goals remained unaltered.
“Is it a setback? The answer is yes. Is it a fatal blow? The answer is no, because the objectives are very clear. They are still the same,” he said.
When pressed by the host on whether the failed coalition attempt, involving two candidates who combined polled over seven million votes in 2023, had significantly weakened the ADC’s prospects, Abdullahi stated that past electoral performance did not guarantee future votes.
The spokesman also revealed that he was personally unhappy with the development.
“Personally, I’m not happy they left. And I cannot tell you why, because I have my own sentiments. I’m not happy they left,” he said.
He also added, however, that the departures had freed the party from a stifling internal dynamic.
“In a way, it’s a bit of relief. Now we can focus on really doing what we need to do without being under the pressure cooker that they were trying to put us in. I am not disheartened. No, no, not at all,” he said.
Abdullahi ruled out any hostile posture towards the departing figures, saying the ADC did not regard Obi and Kwankwaso as adversaries.
“We don’t think they are our enemies. We are not going to go into a dogfight with them,” he said.
Obi had cited orchestrated internal crises and relentless litigation as his reasons for quitting the ADC.
He stated that the choice was made not out of anger, personal ambition, or convenience, but rather after careful consideration of Nigeria’s situation and the urgent necessity to rescue the country.
He drew a link to his previous exit from the Labour Party, claiming that both departures were motivated by the same cause.
He described the trend as harsh, coordinated lawsuits and internal problems intended to keep him out of the election process.
He also emphasized that democracy should never be used as a weapon against the people and that opposition parties should not be weakened or eliminated, since when democracy fails, the people suffer.
