Kwankwaso: Obi won’t step down for Atiku

T****he vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has dismissed speculations that the party may withdraw from the presidential race in favour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He insisted that the NDC ticket remains firmly in the contest and expressed strong confidence in winning.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Kwankwaso accused the ADC Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) of focusing its energy on attacking him, the NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi, and the party, rather than marketing its own candidate to Nigerians.

He stated that attempts to portray the NDC as working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or planning to step down for the ADC were baseless and designed to mislead voters.

“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,” he said.

The NDC vice-presidential candidate alleged that the ADC campaign team was engaged in “mischief” against his party and warned supporters to disregard any last-minute claims suggesting the NDC had endorsed or withdrawn in favor of another candidate.

Kwankwaso added that the ADC campaign council should instead address allegations reportedly made against its candidate by Vice President Kashim Shettima rather than targeting the NDC leadership.

According to him, the NDC presidential ticket—which he described as the “OK ticket”—is not working for the APC or any of its factions and has no reason to step down for any other political party.

“The OK ticket is neither working for nor acting on behalf of the APC or any of its candidates. We see no possibility or reason to withdraw from the presidential race in favor of the ADC candidate or any other,” he stated.

Kwankwaso also criticized the APC-led administration, stating that the government had failed Nigerians, while maintaining that the ADC did not offer a better alternative.

Describing the NDC as the most formidable opposition party in the country, he urged supporters to remain committed to securing victory at the polls.

He emphasized that the NDC ticket is fully committed to addressing critical challenges in security, education, agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, and the economy, while actively promoting national unity.

“Nigeria will be OK,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ADC-PCC has dismissed Kwankwaso’s response to its earlier statement as diversionary, insisting that his reaction has further raised questions about his alleged political alignment with the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The ADC-PCC had earlier advised Kwankwaso to stop attacking Atiku and redirect his energy towards holding the ruling APC accountable.

The Council maintained that, as an opposition figure, Kwankwaso should be challenging the present “administration over the worsening economic hardship, insecurity and declining living standards confronting Nigerians, rather than repeatedly targeting Atiku and the ADC.”

In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Kwankwaso’s response had failed to address the substance of the Council’s concerns.

According to the ADC-PCC, Kwankwaso casually mentioned the APC in his defence but devoted much of his response to attacking the ADC, a development it said raised questions about his priorities as an opposition leader.

“Why is Kwankwaso making our candidate the issue instead of confronting the ruling APC, whose policies have made life increasingly difficult for millions of Nigerians?” the Council asked.

It argued that “Nigerians were more concerned about hunger, insecurity, high fuel prices, the depreciation of the naira and the crushing economic hardship under the APC-led government than political exchanges among opposition figures.”