Intended alliance between the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, and a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, for a joint 2027 presidential ticket has reached an advanced stage.
Punch reports that its finding revealed that both Obi and Kwankwaso have jointly set up a committee for the actualisation of the joint ticket under the African Democratic Congress.
According to the party official, Obasanjo not only blessed Obi’s defection to the ADC, he also asked the former Anambra State governor to work with Kwankwaso to secure the presidential and vice-presidential tickets of the party.
Obasanjo openly campaigned for Obi in 2023 and mobilised support for him across the country against the All Progressives Congress candidate, now President Bola Tinubu.
In an open letter dated January 1, 2023, he said: “None of the contestants is a saint, but when one compares their character, antecedents, understanding, knowledge, discipline and vitality they can bring to bear, and the great effort required to stay focused on the job—particularly looking at where the country is today—and with the experience on the job that I personally had, Peter Obi, as a mentee, has an edge.”
Kwankwaso, on the other hand, was appointed Minister of Defence by Obasanjo during his second term.
Currently, Atiku, Obi and a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, are the three presidential aspirants in the ADC, while efforts to get Kwankwaso to join the party are ongoing.
Obi, before his defection to the ADC, had promised to serve a single term if elected President, after which Kwankwaso declared that he was ready to serve as vice-presidential candidate.
Though Kwankwaso has yet to join the ADC, Sunday PUNCH gathered that the proposed alliance between him and Obi has begun and was initiated by Obasanjo.
A top ADC source told one of our correspondents that the former president had also been connecting Obi with some northern power brokers to ensure the alliance works out.
“We’re aware of the alliance, though Kwankwaso is not in our party yet. Former President Obasanjo is the one who connected the two of them (Obi and Kwankwaso), and he is committed to their alliance.
“The former president believes in Obi and has been speaking with some northern leaders on the need for them to see reason in the alliance,” said the party official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Similarly, one of the leaders of Kwankwasiyya Movement confirmed Obasanjo’s involvement in the proposed alliance, saying the former president initiated the idea.
“The former President is involved. In fact, he mooted the idea, and we are happy to be on track,” the source, who spoke with Punch on condition of anonymity, said.
Punch further gathered that a committee had been put in place by both Obi and Kwankwaso to galvanise support within the ADC for the proposed joint ticket.
A credible source in Obi’s camp disclosed that the committee was set up about a month ago with a mandate to strategise on how to achieve the joint ticket.
“We’re no longer at the talking stage; we have moved ahead. A committee has been set up for the alliance and things are taking shape,” the source said.