By Hosea Parah
The Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has ruled out any possibility of the party’s presidential ticket withdrawing from the 2027 general elections in favour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or any other political party.
Kwankwaso stated this on Sunday in a post on his verified Facebook page, expressing concern over the conduct of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
It was reported that the ADC-PCC accused Kwankwaso of advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests by calling on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step down for Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegation in a statement on Friday while reacting to Kwankwaso’s interview on Channels Television.
He described Kwankwaso’s intervention as self-serving and capable of deepening divisions within the opposition.
Ologbondiyan questioned why Kwankwaso was directing his attention at opposition leaders rather than challenging the Tinubu administration, which the ADC-PCC said Nigerians were eager to vote out over economic hardship, hunger, poverty, and insecurity.
However, in his statement, Kwankwaso accused the campaign team of directing unnecessary attacks at him, the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the party.
He alleged that rather than concentrating on presenting the credentials and policy proposals of its own candidate, the ADC campaign team had resorted to making claims suggesting that the NDC was working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kwankwaso also dismissed suggestions that the NDC might withdraw from the presidential race at the last minute to support the ADC candidate, describing such claims as unfounded.
“Let me state clearly and unequivocally: we will not withdraw our candidature for the ADC or any other party. We remain confident in our capacity, competence, and readiness to lead Nigeria,” he said.
He warned that similar claims could be circulated on the eve of the election to mislead NDC supporters, insisting that the party would remain in the contest.
“The OK ticket is neither working for nor acting on behalf of the APC or any of its candidates,” Kwankwaso said, adding that there was neither a reason nor any possibility of withdrawing in favour of the ADC candidate.
The former Kano State governor urged the ADC-PCC to focus on addressing allegations reportedly levelled against its candidate by Vice-President Kashim Shettima rather than targeting the NDC leadership.
He also criticised both the APC-led government and the ADC, arguing that neither offered the alternative Nigeria needed.
According to him, the NDC presidential ticket, which he referred to as the “OK ticket,” is committed to national unity and addressing the country’s challenges across critical sectors.
He listed security, education, agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare and the economy among the areas requiring urgent attention.
Kwankwaso maintained that the ticket had the capacity, credibility and support needed to pursue its proposed agenda, with backing across northern and southern Nigeria.
He described the ticket as one committed to healing national divisions and bringing Nigerians together while tackling the country’s major social and economic challenges.
Kwankwaso urged party supporters and other well-meaning Nigerians to remain committed to the party and its participation in the presidential contest.
“I, therefore, urge all our supporters and well-meaning Nigerians to continue working toward the victory of our great party,” he said.