The plans of opposition leaders to field a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections may have suffered a major setback following the planned defection of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso from the African Democratic Congress to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Sources within the coalition told Sunday PUNCH that Obi and Kwankwaso’s planned defection was largely driven by growing concerns over the influence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar within the ADC, which is being considered as the coalition’s main platform.

Atiku is believed to be in a strong position to clinch the party’s presidential ticket ahead of Obi and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

Obi and Kwankwaso’s planned defection is coming barely one week after leaders of opposition parties agreed to work towards fielding a single presidential candidate to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.

The agreement was reached at the National Summit of Opposition Political Leaders in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The agreement was part of the nine resolutions contained in the communique read by the opposition leaders at the end of the summit.

In the communiqué, titled, the “Ibadan Declaration,” the opposition said the move was necessary to “rescue the nation and suffering masses”.

Obi, Kwankwaso to exit ADC Monday

The Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Buba Galadima, disclosed that Obi and Kwankwaso, alongside other key opposition coalition members, would announce a new political platform on Monday.

Galadima made the disclosure at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement in Abuja.

Although he did not name the platform, Sunday PUNCH gathered from sources close to the former governors that both leaders were concluding arrangements to join the NDC, led by former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson.

A source said, “Obi, Kwankwaso and their chieftains were on ground between yesterday (Friday) and this morning, signing relevant documents with Senator Dickson and the NDC leaders.

“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in the ADC. We discovered late that Atiku and his loyalists lured our leaders to that opposition party to fulfil only one single mission — Atiku’s presidential ambition.

“All is now set. Both Obi and Kwankwaso will announce their defection to the ADC on Monday.”

The planned move follows weeks of speculation over the next political destination of Obi and Kwankwaso, particularly in the wake of recent Supreme Court developments affecting opposition parties and internal party structures.

Addressing journalists, Galadima warned supporters to brace for what he described as coordinated attacks and disruptions that could trail the announcement.

He said, “As from Monday, when our leaders declare on which platform they will run, I want to tell you that one of two things will happen. And I’m here to guide you on your response to what will happen.

“First, they will sponsor columnists. Two, they will deploy social media influencers to start attacking our candidates. For all of you who are on social media and those you with the mighty pen, you must be prepared to respond to anything they are going to say.

“Anything under the sun that they may say about our leaders that we know very well, people of integrity and honour, we must come to them with the ferociousness that is needed of an intelligent man.”

Also speaking at the event, Isaac Fayose, brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, expressed support for the proposed Obi-Kwankwaso alliance, describing it as a viable alternative.

He said, “I am not a politician and don’t need to join your political party. But let me say that O-K (Obi-Kwankwaso) is okay for me. And I am ready to lead. In the last election in Lagos, I was the returning officer in Ibeju-Lekki. They came with so many things. But at the end of the day, the votes were so much that they couldn’t change the results.

“This time, I can tell you that we have already won in 28 out of 36 states. These 28 are already O-K. They are ready to vote. So it is up to them to say this time, you can’t steal our votes. And we have to be ready for that because it is easy to vote.”

A political analyst, Adebayo Abubakar, warned that deepening divisions, mutual suspicion and rising personal ambitions among opposition leaders could ultimately hand President Bola Tinubu an easy path to re-election in 2027.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Abubakar said ongoing political realignments involving key opposition figures such as Obi and Kwankwaso suggested that the opposition remained far from presenting a united front capable of challenging the ruling APC.

“If you look at what is happening within the opposition camp, the first thing that becomes obvious is the problem of mutual suspicion and the unwillingness of key actors to subordinate their personal ambitions to the collective goal of unseating the ruling party.

“These movements you are talking about Obi, Kwankwaso and others considering different platforms only confirm that the opposition is still far from presenting a united front. Instead of consolidation, what we are seeing is further fragmentation, and that is dangerous for any opposition that is serious about taking power,” he said.

Abubakar argued that while political realignments could be strategic, the current moves lack the structure and cohesion required to produce a formidable coalition.

“Realignment only works when there is a clear framework, shared ideology and a willingness to compromise. What we are seeing now is the opposite everyone is positioning themselves for personal advantage.

“Even at the recent opposition summit, where there was supposed to be an agreement to field a single candidate, the body language of some key figures did not align with that position. You could already see cracks forming. So instead of strengthening the opposition, these moves are exposing its weaknesses,” he added.

The analyst further noted that internal divisions within opposition ranks have become a major advantage for the ruling party, describing it as the most potent factor working in its favour ahead of the 2027 elections.

But the National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the opposition remained committed to presenting a single candidate for the 2027 general elections.

He explained that the decision to adopt a single candidate was driven by national interest, stressing that members of the opposition believed the current administration had not done enough in securing the country and protecting livelihoods.

“The principle remains the same. We are not going to waver from that. Whether it is still possible to have one candidate is a question that will be answered in the coming days, depending on how things turn out in the political terrain,” Abdullahi said.

He noted that any politician who chose to leave the coalition risked undermining its objective.

“It is either you believe that the country needs to be rescued and you want to be part of that effort, or you believe that the president is doing well and you will work with him,” he added.

Abdullahi said the party had not received any formal communication from both Obi and Kwankwaso on their planned defection. (Sunday PUNCH)