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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is currently facing leadership crisis, with parallel factions laying claims to the control of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The dispute is centred around Nafiu Bala and a rival group led by former Senate President, David Mark, both of whom are claiming legitimacy over the party’s national leadership.
Tensions escalated last week when the Mark-led faction announced the expulsion of Nafiu Bala, alongside other members including Leke Abejide and several party officials, during its 8th National Convention in Abuja.
The faction said the action was in line with the party constitution, but Bala dismissed the convention as illegal, insisting it was not recognised by law or the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Friday, Bala maintained that those who announced their expulsion lacked the legal standing to do so, arguing that they were not recognised members of the party.
“Our suspension is nullity. These individuals are not even members of our party, so they lack the locus to take such decisions…We will fight it to the last point”, he said.
Amid the crisis, there’s another struggle emerging within the David Mark-led bloc over who would eventually emerge as the party’s presidential candidate.
While no official position has been declared, political interests are already forming around key figures.
This comes as former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in a recent interview with Arise News, dismissed suggestions that other northern aspirants could match his political strength, insisting he remains the most popular among contenders.
He also expressed confidence in a coalition arrangement that would either produce a consensus candidate or a primary election.
The internal contest is further complicated by the growing political positioning of other heavyweights, including Peter Obi, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Chibuike Amaechi.
Supporters of Peter Obi have repeatedly maintained that their principal remains committed to a president or nothing position within any coalition arrangement.
Meanwhile, political realignments have also seen Obi maintaining a close working relationship with former Kano Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, further shaping expectations within the emerging alliance.
This week, supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso launched a new political pressure group, the Obi–Kwankwaso Movement.
Adding another layer to the tension, Dumebi Kachikwu, the ADC’s 2023 presidential candidate, described current presidential aspirants in the party as desperate politicians, accusing them of prioritising personal ambition over national interest during a press briefing in Abuja.
These developments show growing divisions within the ADC, as internal fights, coalition talks, and personal ambitions all come together ahead of the 2027 elections.
2027: Kwankwaso open to any role that ensures victory – Aide
The spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Saleh, has said that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is willing to accept any role, including a possible vice-presidential slot, if it will guarantee victory for the opposition in the 2027 general elections.
Saleh disclosed this during an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Monday, in which he spoke on the ongoing coalition negotiations and responded to remarks by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar regarding Kwankwaso’s political relevance.
He said Kwankwaso’s priority is not personal ambition but ensuring that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are voted out.
“My principal has made it very clear to us all that we are joining this coalition simply to ensure that we contribute in any way possible to remove this present government of APC and Bola Ahmed Tinubu from power, so that democracy can survive and the nation can be saved.”
He added that Kwankwaso has been actively working behind the scenes to build alliances and strengthen the opposition.
“He has been creating alliances, bringing people together and doing everything necessary to ensure that the party succeeds in its fight. He is ready to make the necessary sacrifice to achieve that goal.”
Speaking on whether Kwankwaso would accept a vice-presidential position, Saleh said the former Kano governor is open to any arrangement that would lead to victory.
“Be it that he is going to be given a slot as vice president or at whatever capacity, I believe that will work for the success of the coalition and the ADC.
“If he evaluates the arrangement and sees that it will bring victory and allow the party to succeed, my principal will take it. What matters most is success for Nigerians and for democracy.”
Kwankwaso bigger than Kano politics – Spokesperson insists
Saleh also reacted to Atiku’s claim that Kwankwaso only controls Kano votes, describing it as an understatement.
“It is a serious understatement for anybody to say that the relevance of my principal is only in Kano. The figures from the last election clearly show otherwise.”
He explained that Kwankwaso recorded significant votes outside Kano despite contesting on a relatively weak platform.
“He got about 906,000 votes from Kano, but he also got about 500,000 votes from other parts of the country. And remember, he contested on a relatively unknown political party.
“He did not enjoy the support of any incumbent, no governor, no House of Representatives member, not even a councillor. He also did not have elite backing or strong party structure.”
According to him, Kwankwaso’s performance shows genuine grassroots support.
“For any candidate that can deliver his own state under such conditions, it shows real connection with the people and strong political credibility.”
Saleh also compared Kwankwaso’s performance with Atiku’s earlier presidential outing.
“When Atiku contested as a sitting Vice President, with the support of the then ruling structure, he got about two million votes, which was around six percent.”
“Kwankwaso, contesting for the first time without holding any major office, also got about six percent. So, you can put that into perspective and make your judgment.”
North-North ticket not likely
On the possibility of a joint ticket between Atiku and Kwankwaso, both from Northern Nigeria, Saleh said such an arrangement is not realistic.
“I don’t think that is realistic. We must be sensitive enough to present a ticket that reflects balance between North and South.”
“A same-region or same-religion ticket will only divide the country and hurt democracy. What Nigerians want is fairness and inclusiveness.”
He noted that this is why many Nigerians have shown interest in a Kwankwaso-Peter Obi ticket.
“That kind of ticket is an easy sell. It can bridge the gap of mistrust and bring Nigerians together.”
Gov Yusuf’s defection has not weakened Kwankwaso – Spokesman
Responding to claims that Kwankwaso now shares Kano’s political structure with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Saleh said the strength of the Kwankwasiyya Movement remains intact.
Saleh added that the situation in Kano is not new, recalling that even former governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje once left the Kwankwasiyya Movement with a large number of political loyalists, yet the movement remained strong and eventually regained power.
He said despite losing key figures, including elected officials at the time, the group reorganised and returned stronger, a development he believes will repeat itself
“On paper, it may look like that, but history has proven otherwise. We have been in this situation before.
“At a point, we didn’t have a councillor, a lawmaker or even a political appointee, yet we came back stronger and took over power again.
“We are even more organised now, and I can assure you, it will not be business as usual. We will do even better than before.”
He added that internal divisions within the ruling structure in Kano could work in Kwankwaso’s favour.
“The current political arrangement in Kano is not well managed, and even within the APC and the government, there is no proper alignment.”
Saleh maintained that Kwankwaso’s focus remains on building a strong coalition that can win in 2027, not on personal gain.
“What matters is removing this government and giving Nigerians a better alternative. My principal is ready to play any role that will make that happen.”
He added that any misunderstanding of Kwankwaso’s influence may be due to a lack of proper understanding of his political trajectory.
“Maybe some people do not fully understand the political journey of Kwankwaso. But we are confident that the reality will speak for itself.”
ADC can defeat Tinubu if Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso unite – Analyst
A political analyst, Hassan Ibrahim, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) stands a strong chance of defeating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections if key opposition figures; Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso put aside their ambitions and work together.
Speaking in an exclusive interview woth DAILY POST on Tuesday, Ibrahim said unity among the three politicians is possible, but only if they learn from the mistakes of the 2023 general elections.
“I think it is possible that they can manage their ambition if and only if they have learned a lesson from the past,” he said.
He recalled that in 2023, all three politicians were originally in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but failed to agree, leading to a split that weakened the opposition.
“Their inability to manage their ambition was the single reason that led to them going their separate ways. Atiku remained in PDP, Obi moved to Labour Party, while Kwankwaso went to NNPP to contest.”
According to him, that division created an easy path for Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to win the election.
“If Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso had managed their ambition and formed a coalition, they would have easily defeated APC. That failure to unite was the major reason APC won.”
He pointed to the 2023 election figures to support his argument.
“Atiku got about 6.9 million votes, Obi had over 6.1 million votes, and Kwankwaso got about 1.4 million votes. If you add these votes together, you will get over 14 million votes, which is far higher than Tinubu’s 8.7 million votes.”
“Even if it was just Atiku and Obi, their combined votes would have been about 13 million, which is still more than what Tinubu got.”
The analyst also linked the PDP crisis at the time to the choice of running mate, noting that the decision by Atiku to pick Ifeanyi Okowa instead of Nyesom Wike created internal divisions.
“Wike felt aggrieved because he was expecting to be chosen as running mate. That led to anti-party activities which affected PDP’s chances.”
ADC must resolve leadership crisis before 2027 – Ibrahim
Ibrahim warned that before talking about defeating Tinubu, the ADC must first resolve its internal leadership crisis.
“ADC currently has three blocs claiming leadership. You have the David Mark bloc, Nafiu Bala Gombe bloc, and Dumebi Kachikwu bloc. The party must resolve this crisis and present a united front that INEC will recognise.”
He stressed that without unity at the party level, any coalition effort would fail.
Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso must drop ego to win 2027 – Ibrahim
He further explained that personal ambition remains the biggest obstacle to any alliance, recalling how a proposed alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso collapsed in 2023.
“The issue was who becomes president and who becomes vice president. Obi wanted to be the presidential candidate, while Kwankwaso was not ready to be his running mate.
“So the question now is: can Kwankwaso agree to be Obi’s vice president, or can Obi step down for Kwankwaso? They must answer that question.”
He added that unless all parties involved are willing to compromise, history may repeat itself.
“They have to lower their ego and ambition. If they don’t, they are indirectly giving Tinubu a second term on a platter of gold.”
Who has the strongest base?
On who among the three has the strongest political base, Ibrahim said it depends on how strength is defined.
“If you are talking about national spread, Atiku Abubakar has the strongest base.”
He explained that Atiku won 12 states across four geopolitical zones in 2023, making him the most nationally spread candidate among the three.
“Atiku is the only one who won states in the North-East, North-West, South-West and South-South. That shows wide national appeal.”
However, he said Obi has the strongest regional support.
“Peter Obi is very strong in the South-East and parts of the South-South and North-Central. His support is massive, especially among youths and Christian communities.”
On Kwankwaso, he noted that his strength lies in Kano and the North-West.
“Kwankwaso has a very loyal following, especially in Kano. He got almost one million votes from Kano alone, and Kano is very important in any presidential election.”
2027: Failure to manage ambition may hand Tinubu easy victory
The analyst concluded that any alliance between two of the three candidates could pose a serious threat to Tinubu in 2027.
“An Atiku-Obi ticket will be very strong because Atiku brings national spread while Obi brings strong regional support.”
“Even an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket can defeat Tinubu because Obi will bring votes from the South, while Kwankwaso delivers Kano and the North-West.”
He warned that failure to unite would once again favour the ruling party.
“If they refuse to unite, then it means they are giving Tinubu an easy path to win again in 2027.”
Ibrahim emphasised that the opposition must act differently this time.
“They must learn from 2023. If they repeat the same mistake, they should expect the same result.”
ADC power struggle: Kwankwaso open to VP role – Aide, analyst caution against 2023 mistakes
