• Obasanjo backing Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, not Atiku, says Momodu
President Bola Tinubu has formally welcomed Senators Rufai Hanga and Kabiru Gaya to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during a ceremony at the State House, Abuja.

In another development, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is backing a Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso ticket for the 2027 presidential election instead of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Hanga, representing Kano Central Senatorial District under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), finally dumped the opposition and parted ways with his close ally, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Similarly, Gaya, a former governor and representative of Kano South Senatorial District, also left NDC and the Kwankwasiyya Movement. Gaya was in APC before joining Kwankwaso in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) a few months ago.

Both Hanga and Gaya lost the opportunity to secure NDC tickets for elective seats in the consensus congress as Kwankwaso disposed of both politicians for other loyalists.

Their return with their large followers to APC will not only strengthen the ruling party but is expected to also further deplete the Kwankwasiyya Movement ahead of the 2027 elections in Kano.

Led by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, the two senior political figures were formally received by President Tinubu ahead of the elaborate welcome back ceremonial.

A reliable party source told The Guardian that Tinubu welcomed the two senators back into the ruling party and commended their decision to reunite with the APC.

Describing their return as a significant boost to unity, cohesion and political progress in Kano State and across the country, the president expressed confidence that the development would further strengthen the party’s position.

Momodu, who made the claim during an appearance on News Central TV yesterday, said information from sources within the political circle indicated that Atiku was no longer Obasanjo’s preferred candidate.

“From what I have read and heard from impeccable sources, it’s obvious that Obasanjo might be supporting former governor Peter Obi-Kwankwaso’s ticket,” he said.

Momodu also cited a claim by former Labour Party campaign official, Akin Osuntokun, that Obasanjo was the main sponsor of the proposed ticket, adding, “I read somewhere yesterday where my friend, Osuntokun, said Obasanjo is the main sponsor of that ticket.”

However, despite the former president’s alleged preference, Momodu insisted that Atiku could still emerge as Nigeria’s president if it was his destiny, stating that “no force will be able to stop it” under such circumstances.

Nevertheless, the veteran journalist expressed surprise at the renewed hostility between Obasanjo and Atiku, recalling that the former president endorsed his former deputy during the 2019 presidential election.

“It’s obvious that Atiku is not Obasanjo’s favourite candidate. I thought the issue had been laid to rest in 2019 because there is a video in circulation where Obasanjo described Atiku as the president to be,” he stated. “So, I don’t know what resurrected that bitter feud between both of them.”

In the meantime, Momodu said the 2027 presidential election would be decided largely by Nigerians’ assessment of the APC administration’s performance rather than by disagreements within the opposition.