The spokesman of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Dr Habibu Sale Mohammed, has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of attempting to undermine Peter Obi’s political prospects ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Mohammed’s allegation comes amid growing disagreements among opposition figures over who should lead efforts to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the next general election.
Mohammed made this allegation on Monday while fielding questions in an interview on Trust TV.
The controversy follows calls for Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to step aside for Obi, who is linked to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket alongside former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council had earlier accused Kwankwaso of advancing Tinubu’s political interests by urging Atiku to support Obi, arguing that the move could deepen divisions within the opposition.
“Atiku’s strategy is to de-market our presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabi’u Kwankwaso.
“If you analyse exactly the modus operandi of the camp of Atiku Abubakar, you will discover that all those statements are not actually accusation, but rather an attempt to defame, diminish, and also to deceive Nigeria.
“They are also to make Nigerians who are not happy with the present activities of this government to begin to defame it.
“The reality before us is that, we have never seen where and when Atiku has scheduled meetings with Nigerians, reach out to Nigerians, visited states and places to campaign directly.
“Whereas we have seen, on the other hand, how Peter Obi and my Rabi’u Kwankwaso have been moving around this country, reaching out to people and making commitments to the people of Nigeria,” he said.
Kwankwaso, however, rejected the allegation, insisting that the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket would not withdraw from the presidential race in favour of the ADC or any other party.
He also criticised the ADC campaign team for attacking him and Obi instead of focusing on presenting its candidate’s policies to Nigerians.
The dispute highlights the growing political tensions among opposition leaders as parties and their supporters position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election.
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