Peter Obi, Kwankwaso’s exit a temporary setback — ADC

…as Atiku’s camp, party dismiss defection talks with NDC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described the defection of two key party chieftains — Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso — to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) as a temporary setback.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this on Monday night while speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme.

Both Obi and Kwankwaso had cited unresolved litigations among the reasons for quitting the ADC for the NDC.

Abdullahi described Obi’s departure — alongside Kwankwaso — as a setback but not a fatal blow to the party’s ambition of building a broad opposition alliance ahead of 2027.

He acknowledged that their exit dealt a blow to the party, saying, “I will be lying to say it didn’t mean anything. These are frontline politicians… when you lose them, you feel that you’ve lost something.”

However, he insisted the development was “not a mortal blow.”

“I think the kind of party that a Peter Obi needed was the party he is in now—a party that belongs to one man that can guarantee him the ticket before he comes in,” Abdullahi said.

He added that the ADC, as a coalition of diverse political interests, could not be structured to favour any single aspirant. “In a coalition, you cannot take anybody for granted. You have to negotiate, keep everyone within the fold, and inspire people to stay even when they don’t get what they want,” he stated.

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The ADC spokesman also dismissed claims that internal crises and legal battles had crippled the party, arguing that the situation had been exaggerated.

“At the moment, we have only three cases, and all of them are flimsy,” he said, listing disputes over party leadership, a deregistration suit, and challenges to internal congresses.

Abdullahi further alleged that Obi’s exit may have been premeditated, citing prior political meetings and engagements that, according to him, suggested plans to pursue an alternative platform.

“I think it was premeditated,” he said. “All this had been pre-planned… and that is why it is easy for some people to begin to look back and wonder what really happened.”

Despite the departures, he maintained that the ADC remains committed to leading a united opposition front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“We are not disheartened. Yes, it is a setback, but it is a temporary one. We are recalibrating and will come back stronger,” Abdullahi said.

He stressed that the party’s goal of unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027 remains intact, adding that the ADC would not serve as a “special purpose vehicle” for any individual ambition.

“Our objective is clear, to build a formidable platform that can defeat the incumbent. That objective has not changed,” he said.

Atiku camp dismisses defection talks with NDC

Meanwhile, the ADC and the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have dismissed reports of defection talks with the NDC.

Responding to the reports, Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, told a national daily on Monday that there were no such talks involving the former vice president and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola.

“If that is the case, I will be the first to know. I don’t think that there’s anything like that,” Ibe said when contacted.

Corroborating Ibe’s position, the ADC spokesman described the insinuation as “100% rubbish.”