2027: Dumping ADC Alongside Obi Will Weaken You, Lukman Warns Kwankwaso

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, has cautioned former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, against any move to abandon the party ahead of the 2027 general election.

In an open letter titled “You can’t run away from yourself”, addressed to Kwankwaso on Sunday, Lukman warned that any attempt to dump the ADC alongside Peter Obi would diminish the Kwankwasiyya Leader’s political standing and portray him as self-centred.

He wrote, “The approach of defecting to another party, which you are about to take together with Mr. Obi, will simply diminish you as someone who is self-centred and to that extent inconsiderate of the stark harsh realities facing citizens in the country.”

Lukman expressed concern over what he described as a growing trend of political leaders prioritising personal ambition over national interest.

“I was traumatised to see leaders with the potential of providing selfless service to Nigerians becoming self-absorbed in their personal ambitions,” he said.

Questioning Kwankwaso’s plan to reconsider his position in the ADC barely weeks after joining, Lukman asked: “How, in less than six weeks of joining ADC, are you considering defecting to another party or some realignment? What has changed that wasn’t there before you joined?”

The former national vice chairman of APC in North-West, who said he played a central role in negotiations that led to the formation of the opposition coalition, stressed that unity among opposition leaders remained critical to defeating the ruling party in 2027.

According to him, “unity of all opposition leaders under one political platform is a critical success factor for electoral victory. APC won the 2023 election marginally because the opposition was divided.”

He further explained that consultations involving key opposition figures, including Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar dated back to 2024, with all parties agreeing on the need for a united front.

Lukman noted that after exploring the possibility of registering a new party, the coalition settled for adopting an existing platform, eventually narrowing options to the ADC after extensive negotiations and internal restructuring.

He also dismissed concerns that any primary election within the ADC would be skewed in favour of Atiku, describing such claims as unfair.

“Some of the assumptions… that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will bribe his way to win the primary is quite unfair,” he said.

Appealing directly to Kwankwaso, Lukman urged him to focus on legacy rather than personal ambition.

“Given that you are 69 years and by October you will be 70, one will expect that your preoccupation at this point is to ensure that you leave a positive political legacy,” he stated.

He concluded with a call for restraint and unity among opposition leaders: “At this point, Nigerians will be more excited to see political leaders like you demonstrating selfless disposition to ensure unity and produce the needed collective leadership… You will not want to be on the wrong side of history.”

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP reports that Kwankwaso, who had earlier dismissed reports suggesting he was on the verge of leaving the ADC, and insisting that no final decision had been taken regarding his political future alongside Obi, who earlier resigned from the ADC on Sunday, citing a “toxic” political climate, officially joined the Nigeria Democratic Coalition (NDC) and obtained their membership cards on Sunday evening.