A report has indicated that former president Olusegun Obasanjo is spearheading efforts to bring former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso together for a joint presidential ticket.
According to Daily Trust, Obasanjo believes that a joint ticket involving the duo would create a better chance of defeating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
Obi and Kwankwaso are expected to challenge former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the presidential ticket of the coalition-led African Democratic Congress (ADC), amid renewed efforts to unify the opposition.
Multiple sources who spoke to the aforementioned publication said Obasanjo has been able to tentatively persuade Kwankwaso to accept being Obi’s running mate.
According to sources, the first plan is to clinch the ADC presidential ticket by confronting Atiku directly at the party’s primaries.
“Kwankwaso went to Abeokuta to meet Baba Obasanjo last week, and Baba told him to join the ADC and accept to be Obi’s vice. This is similar to what General Ibrahim Babangida told him weeks earlier, although IBB did not go as far as discussing the vice-presidential slot. He only advised him to join the ADC,” one of the sources said.
“The thinking is that the political momentum and current dynamics, both local and international, favour an Obi presidency. Baba Obasanjo is a key promoter of Obi’s ambition. Even Atiku has acknowledged in the past that it was Baba who recommended Obi to him as vice-presidential candidate in 2019.
“The goal is to get Obi and Kwankwaso to work together in order to challenge Atiku for the ADC ticket. They know Atiku will not back down easily, and that the internal dynamics of party politics favour him. There is hardly a chance that either Obi or Kwankwaso, acting alone, can defeat Atiku at the primaries. But with both of them pulling their weight together, they believe they may stand a chance,” the source added.
Kwankwaso had also, through one of his close aides, confirmed to the publication that “high-level discussions with key stakeholders across the political spectrum” were ongoing.
“While our party has not yet finalised its position or reached a full consensus on our path forward, we can confirm that we are engaged in high-level discussions with key stakeholders across the political spectrum, including political parties and individuals.
“Our position will very soon be known to the public. We firmly believe that Nigeria urgently requires a departure from the current environment characterised by rampant insecurity and the widespread collapse of essential systems.
“We kindly urge the public to remain patient and to continue supporting our movement as we work tirelessly towards building a better Nigeria for all citizens,” the aide said.
The aide was responding to enquiries on a meeting Kwankwaso reportedly held last week with Obasanjo and Obi. While the former Kano governor neither confirmed nor denied the meeting, sources reported that two strategic options were being pursued to ensure that an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket features prominently in the 2027 race.
