2027: More Woes For Atiku As Loyalists, Kwankwasiyya Endorse Obi

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar continues to suffer misfortune in his bid to clinch the 2027 presidency as some of his core loyalists, alongside members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, have publicly endorsed former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi for the 2027 general election.

This adds a fresh twist and pressure within the Atiku camp, even as he tries for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to be on the ballot.

The ADC’s woes deepened on Thursday after the Federal High Court in Abuja adjourned its leadership crisis indefinitely, sparking heightened fears in the ADC that it may not field candidates in the 2027 elections.

Atiku is poised to emerge as the presidential candidate of the ADC.
But as a sign of further depletion within his ranks, a Coalition of Atiku Support Groups Initiative, alongside members of the Obidient Movement and Kwankwasiyya Movement, on Friday in Abuja, declared support for Obi’s presidential ambition.

Speaking at the gathering, spokesman of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Muhammed, said the movement resolved to back Obi due to what he described as credible leadership qualities and a broader push for political restructuring in 2027.

“In 2027, there is going to be a political revolution where the common man will come out and determine his own fate. They will tell the nation who they believe to be leaders. And, of course, there are no other persons other than Peter Obi and Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.”

Muhammed stressed that, “Leadership is not about trial and error. No, it’s about track record. Kwankwaso lost his governorship election, made a comeback in 2011 and won again. I’m glad to tell you that he’s the only person to do that in Nigeria. From 2011 to 2015, he built another state university.

“I believe this is enough to tell you what he cares about and what his concerns are. Nothing builds society, people and a nation more than education. When you educate the youth, you educate the masses. You see progress and development. This is outside the PhDs that he sponsored,” he stated.

He added that, “Everybody knows he contested for president. But now, we have agreed that there is a need to consider other parts of the country, which we all agree is fair. Again, when we look at regions, we also need to look at the track record.

“As earlier said, you don’t need trial and error leaders but people with character and a real track record.

“That is why, from the Kwankwasiyya Movement, we agree that Peter Obi is the kind of exceptional leader we want to follow and align with our leader in terms of education, healthcare, infrastructure, and the general well-being of Nigeria,” Muhammed added.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Coalition of Atiku Support Groups Initiative, Obinna Okorie, appealed to Atiku Abubakar to support Obi’s presidential bid in 2027.

Okorie said, “We have been supporting Atiku since 2019 when he started with Obi. He is our father and leader because we respect him so much. I’m happy to say that today we have over a thousand support groups in CASGI.

“After studying the political dynamics of Nigeria, we came up with the decision that we would beg our father and leader, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, to support Peter Obi. The reasons are very simple.

“If you are a follower of Nigerian politics, you don’t need anybody to tell you where the wind is blowing. Again, Nigeria has what we call unwritten agreements. I’m not an ethnic or religious bigot. These are the things we saw in His Excellency Peter Obi,” he stated.

The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, also said the development reflects a strengthening coalition, dismissing claims of division among the groups.

“Today signifies the importance of our coalition again. So anybody who is in doubt, and thinks the coalition has collapsed is not serious. This is because here we have groups from our respected leaders, Atiku, Kwankwaso, and Obi.

“Those who want to create differences among us have failed because the target is to create a division among us while they are making an inroad. We must work as a team. This country needs to be salvaged,” Tanko said.