• Obi says decision to step down for Atiku now rests with parties
• ADC support groups promise Atiku 21m votes

A crack in the opposition camp widened yesterday as leading presidential candidates stuck to their guns, setting the pace for a replay of the 2023 presidential contest between President Bola Tinubu and his two main challengers – Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Hopes of a middle-ground rapprochement were dashed yesterday after Peter Obi’s running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, urged former Vice President Atiku to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race four months before the polls.

Kwankwaso made the call while receiving members of the Fulani Farmers Association, who paid him a visit at his Abuja residence, and said Atiku should instead focus on his traditional responsibilities. He also cited Atiku’s age and health as reasons for the appeal, urging supporters of the ADC candidate to convince him to step aside from the presidential contest.

This comes after Obi emphatically ruled out such a proposition on his part while explaining why he cannot step down for Atiku. Obi said the issue was no longer about individual candidates, but about the political parties involved, as both he and Atiku are candidates of different parties. He clarified his position during an interview with Arise Television on Thursday.

Asked if he would step down for Atiku, Obi said: “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 him or me as you are now talking about parties coming together.”

Obi and Atiku contested the 2019 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but lost to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ahead of 2027, there have been calls for Obi to team up with Atiku again, including suggestions that he could become Atiku’s running mate.

Obi, however, denied rejecting any such offer, insisting that he had never been in a political party where such an offer was made to him. “My statement was unequivocal, and I am genuinely surprised by the misrepresentation of my words. For the avoidance of doubt, I never stated at any time that I would be vice president to anyone and it’s unequivocal,” he had said.

Reaffirming his position, Obi said, “Who said so? Where? I wasn’t even in any party where that offer was on the table. I wasn’t even in a position where it was being offered and I refused.”

On the 2027 election, Obi said Nigerians must approach the exercise differently from the 2023 general election, arguing that voters had previously placed too much trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver a credible process.

Reiterating his boss’ position, the former Kano State governor, Kwankwaso, stated to his guests: “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. 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,” he said.

Recall that in April, Atiku, who will turn 81 next year, had said the 2027 presidential election would be his final attempt, citing his age and the stakes involved. He has contested the presidency several times, including in 2007, 2011, 2019 and 2023, losing each time. Atiku has remained a strong advocate of restructuring, economic liberalisation and private sector-led growth.

The former vice-president was conferred with the traditional title of Wazirin Adamawa in June 2017 following the death of Muhammad Abba, the previous holder. He had earlier held the title of Turaki of Adamawa from 1982, before it was passed to his son, Aliyu. The Wazirin Adamawa is a senior traditional position in the Adamawa Emirate, with the holder traditionally serving as the emir’s prime minister, senior councillor, kingmaker and close adviser.

However, the Adamawa State Government introduced a policy in 2025 requiring kingmakers and members of traditional councils to be indigenes of the emirates or chiefdoms they represent. The policy was reported to have affected Atiku’s position as Wazirin Adamawa because he is from Jada in the Ganye Emirate.

Kwankwaso’s appeal comes as political parties and alliances position themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku yet to abandon his stated intention to make another bid for the presidency.

Already, ADC support groups, at their town hall meeting in Abuja on Thursday, resolved to work assiduously to mobilise across the length and breadth of the country for the victory of Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi and achieve 21 million votes. The ADC argued that the Nigerian economy had degenerated under the current administration, with increased insecurity and poor living conditions as families struggle to feed themselves, stressing that it will assign 3.5 million members of the support groups who will police the ADC votes at the polling units.

The speakers took turns and doubled down on Atiku’s promises to restore fuel subsidy and place Nigeria on the right track of prosperity and development. The immediate past national chairman of the ADC, Ralph Nwosu, said that despite the demise of his mother, which has put him in a mourning mode, he will continue to work to ensure the victory of Atiku in accordance with the wishes of his late mother.

Speaking at the occasion themed: “Together we can build “, Senator Dino Melaye described the current administration as rogue and full of questionable characters. According to him, the ongoing probes into the forfeiture case against President Tinubu in the United States of America have cast shadows on the country’s integrity, and Nigerians must gear up to vote out the President in 2027.