The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests following his call on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race in favour of Peter Obi.

The council described Kwankwaso’s position as reckless and self-serving, arguing that the former Kano State governor should focus on challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) rather than calling on opposition figures to step aside.

Atiku is the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, while Kwankwaso is the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

In a statement on Friday, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council’s director of media and publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Kwankwaso’s comments during an interview on Channels Television raised questions about his commitment to building a united opposition ahead of the election.

Ologbondiyan accused Kwankwaso of directing his attention to opposition leaders rather than confronting the Tinubu administration, which he said Nigerians were eager to vote out.

“Rather than campaigning against President Tinubu, whose administration Nigerians are eagerly working to vote out, Kwankwaso is fixated on Atiku Abubakar, the ADC candidate, whom millions of Nigerians believe can restore economic stability and make life affordable again,” he said.

The ADC spokesman also expressed confidence that Atiku could defeat his opponents in Kano State, Kwankwaso’s home state, regardless of whether the former governor supported him.

He argued that the economic difficulties facing Nigerians would be a major factor in determining the election’s outcome.

According to Ologbondiyan, the hardship, hunger, poverty and insecurity confronting the country would shape voters’ decisions in 2027.

He further questioned Kwankwaso’s position within the opposition, arguing that his call for Atiku to step aside was inconsistent with challenging the incumbent government.

“Having reportedly described the office of the Vice President as a ‘spare tyre’, he appears more concerned about positioning himself for the 2031 presidential election rather than addressing the urgent challenges confronting Nigerians today,” Ologbondiyan said.

The ADC campaign council spokesman alleged that Kwankwaso’s intervention could benefit the APC by creating divisions among opposition parties and weakening their chances of defeating Tinubu.

He maintained that Kwankwaso’s political influence should not be regarded as indispensable to any candidate seeking victory in Kano.

To support his argument, Ologbondiyan cited the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections, claiming that former President Muhammadu Buhari secured victories in Kano without Kwankwaso’s backing.

He argued that Atiku could similarly win the state in 2027, even without the former governor’s support.

“What Kwankwaso is doing amounts to advancing President Tinubu’s interests. It is a familiar APC strategy to use willing collaborators within the opposition to create confusion, sow division and weaken the collective efforts to bring about political change.

“Nigerians are wiser than that and will not allow themselves to be distracted by political manoeuvres designed to rescue an unpopular administration,” he said.

Ologbondiyan also accused Kwankwaso of prioritising personal political ambitions over the collective interests of opposition parties.

He alleged that the former Kano governor’s call was less about improving Obi’s chances in the presidential election than positioning himself for political negotiations ahead of the 2031 election.