By Two of Nigeria’s leading opposition figures have weighed in on the increasingly complicated question of a unified opposition ticket for 2027, with contrasting positions emerging from within the coalition that once brought them together.
Kwankwaso Calls for Atiku to Bow Out
Nigeria Democratic Congress vice presidential candidate Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso has urged African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 race, suggesting the former Vice President should instead focus on his traditional responsibilities.
Kwankwaso made the appeal while hosting members of the Fulani Farmers Association at his residence in Abuja. He pointed to Atiku’s age and health as part of his reasoning, calling on the ADC candidate’s supporters to persuade him to step aside from the contest.
“Go to the Wazirin of Adamawa’s house and tell him in Fulani that he needs to focus on his traditional title of Wazirin, given his age and health,” Kwankwaso said, referencing Atiku’s traditional title. He added, “If Allah grants us success, we will take good care of him, especially since you all come from Adamawa. An apology should be offered to him.”
The remarks come at a sensitive moment, with ongoing efforts to unite opposition figures under a single platform capable of taking on President Bola Tinubu in 2027. Atiku himself suggested in April that this election cycle could be his last attempt at the presidency, citing his age and what is at stake. He has run for president multiple times before, in 2007, 2011, 2019 and 2023, without success, while remaining a consistent voice for restructuring, economic liberalisation and private sector-driven growth.
Obi Pushes Back: This Is No Longer a Personal Decision
While Kwankwaso pressed Atiku to exit the race, Obi used a separate interview with Arise Television to reject the idea that stepping down was ever his call to make alone. The NDC presidential candidate said the question of a possible opposition merger must now be resolved between political parties rather than negotiated between individuals.
Obi stressed that both he and Atiku are now standing as candidates for separate parties, changing the nature of any potential arrangement entirely.
“Do you know where we are now? Where we are now is that I’m a candidate, my leader Atiku is a candidate of another party, so you are talking about two parties coming together, it’s no longer me or me, as you are now talking about parties coming together,” Obi said. He compared the situation to a corporate merger, explaining, “All those parties have candidates. So, it is a discussion. It is no longer me, as Peter, talking. It is like a situation where two corporations are trying to come together. It is no longer something where the two CEOs go for a drink and say, ‘We are going to work together’. They need to look at how to bring these two corporations together.”
A Coalition That Fractured
Obi’s comments reflect the unraveling of a broader opposition alliance. In 2025, Obi, Atiku and other opposition leaders were part of a coalition that had adopted the ADC as a common platform, fueling hopes that the two men might once again run together after previously teaming up in 2019, when Obi served as Atiku’s running mate on the Peoples Democratic Party ticket.
That coalition ultimately did not hold. Obi went on to emerge as the NDC’s presidential candidate, while Atiku secured the ADC ticket, setting up a scenario where both men are again seeking the presidency, this time from different opposition platforms rather than as running mates or rivals within the same party.
Their paths had already diverged once before, ahead of the 2023 election, when Obi left the PDP to run under the Labour Party while Atiku stayed on as the PDP’s candidate.
Obi used the interview to clarify one particular point of speculation, denying that he had ever turned down an offer to serve as Atiku’s running mate this cycle. “I don’t know where that was said. I wasn’t even in a position where that was being offered, and I refused,” he said.
What This Means for 2027
Obi’s position leaves room for negotiations at the party level while firmly rejecting the framing that he alone could resolve the standoff by simply yielding to Atiku. With opposition figures like Kwankwaso publicly pressuring Atiku to step aside, and Obi insisting any alliance must be structured as a party-to-party arrangement, the path toward a single opposition candidate for 2027 remains unsettled heading into the election cycle.
