Obi, Kwankwaso’s exit setback but relief, says ADC

The African Democratic Congress has described the departure of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and ex-Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as a setback but not a fatal blow to the party’s 2027 ambitions.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made this known on Monday during an interview on Arise News’ Prime Time programme.

Mr Abdullahi said, “Is it a setback? The answer is yes. Is it a fatal blow? The answer is no, because the objectives are very clear. They are still the same.”

Mr Obi and Mr Kwankwaso had briefly aligned with the ADC as part of efforts to build a broad opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections but have since defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

When pressed on whether their exit had weakened the party’s prospects, Mr Abdullahi said past electoral performance does not necessarily translate into future votes.

“Personally, I’m not happy they left. And I cannot tell you why, because I have my own sentiments. I’m not happy they left,” he added.

He noted, however, that their departure also brought some relief to the party.

“In a way, it’s a bit of relief. Now we can focus on really doing what we need to do without being under the pressure cooker that they were trying to put us in. I am not disheartened. No, no, not at all,” Mr Abdullahi said.

He further stated that the ADC does not consider the two politicians as enemies.

“We don’t think they are our enemies. We are not going to go into a dogfight with them,” he said.

Mr Obi had earlier cited internal crises and persistent litigation as reasons for leaving the party, noting that such challenges were hindering effective political engagement.