Last Sunday, former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, paid a Sallah visit to the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in Kano State.
According to a post shared on X by Dr Yunusa Tanko, Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, following Obi’s meeting with Kwankwaso, the engagement focused on “strategising for our collective interest to make Nigeria work again for all of us”.
The visit has stirred fresh speculation about a possible alliance between two men whose separate ambitions in 2023 may have cost them a collective opportunity.
DAILY POST recalls that at the backdrop to this renewed engagement is the failed alliance talks prior to the last presidential election in 2023.
Many analysts are of the view that the meeting was a reminder of unfinished business, and perhaps, a quiet restart of conversations that once failed to materialise.
DAILY POST recalls that prior to the last presidential election, both Obi and Kwankwaso were riding waves of political momentum: Obi with his youth-driven “Obidient” movement under the Labour Party, and Kwankwaso with the deeply rooted Kwankwasiyya base under the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
However, negotiations between the two camps reportedly broke down over disagreements on power-sharing, party supremacy, and ultimately, who would take the presidential ticket. What could have become a formidable third force instead splintered into parallel campaigns.
DAILY POST also reported how both men contested separately, splitting opposition votes in a tightly contested election in which President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress emerged winner.
Many Nigerians have since argued that a united front might have significantly altered the outcome.
Obasanjo leading push to unite Obi, Kwankwaso – Sambo
Recently speaking about the matter, Sumner Sambo, Editor for Politics at Arise News, revealed fresh moves by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to rally key opposition figures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, Sambo disclosed that a committee set up by Obasanjo in December had already initiated talks involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with stakeholders working towards a possible alliance.
He noted that any successful coalition would likely require the involvement of all major opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi, to achieve a unified front.
Sambo said consultations in Kano indicate that Kwankwaso is now under pressure from political stakeholders to reconsider joining a broader opposition alliance.
He added that the success of the proposed coalition would depend on the ability of ADC leaders to manage competing interests and build consensus among the various political blocs ahead of 2027.
Sambo said: “This is Olusegun Obasanjo’s desire. Actually, I’ve been speaking with lots of people, and they told me that this is what looks like the last gift that Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria, thinks he can give to Nigeria’s democratic process, by seeing how he can bring some younger elements within the angle of Nigerian politics.
“Sometime around December, there was a committee that was set up by Olusegun Obasanjo, who had brought some elements between then Labor Party leader Peter Obi who’s in the ADC, and then Rabbi Musa Kwankwaso.
“That committee was set up in December and Magaji Ibrahim, who happens to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the national legal advisor of the NNPP, had confirmed that meeting, that they had been approached and they are already working towards that.
“Obasanjo seems to be bringing back what he had tried in 2023 when he tried to sometime around 2022 move around with Peter Obi across the north, using Professor Ango Abdullahi of the Northern elders Forum to see how the North can be galvanized towards seeing Obi being given a ticket and then being supported by the North.
“That didn’t happen, and eventually Obi then went ahead and got the Labor Party ticket. He still tried to see how Kwankwaso could join him. But Kwankwaso said, no, he’s a more experienced politician, he was more politically experienced than Peter Obi.
“But now, seeing that President Tinubu had himself wanted to get Kwankwaso but some of the conditions that Kwankwaso put in place were not accepted, and this NNPP judgment had come in place, wouldn’t it be like, you know, a golden opportunity for Kwankwaso to now go back to that initial arrangement?
“Well, these are the things that people are saying. And I’ve spoken to a few people in Kano last night, including this morning, and they are saying that, look, Kwankwaso is beginning to be appealed to that decision, that desire and so on, as long as the elders of the ADC are able to contain all other groups, and they are able to ensure that this system is perfected and it is birthed in 2027.”
Nigerians yearn for Obi–Kwankwaso alliance – NNPP legal adviser
Also speaking, the National Legal Adviser of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP, Magaji Mato, said Nigerians are increasingly calling for a political alliance between Peter Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mato made the remarks while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Tuesday, where he described the emerging political alignment as one long anticipated by many Nigerians.
According to him, the combination of Obi and Kwankwaso represents a new generation of leadership that Nigerians consider capable, experienced and physically fit to govern.
He said both men have been tested in leadership and enjoy a level of trust among citizens who are seeking change in the country’s political direction.
Mato described the public reaction to Obi’s visit as “overwhelming,” noting that sentiments expressed by attendees suggest strong grassroots support for a possible alliance.
He expressed optimism that the alliance could gain traction, stressing that if the political environment allows it to evolve naturally, it may significantly reshape the 2027 electoral contest.
Mato said: “When you have a system where people are choked to their throats, a lot of issues come into play. The combination we are seeing is a combination that Nigerians have been longing for a very long time in the political space of this nation.
“People have always longed to have the Kwankwaso and Obi coming up together. And then people have always longed to have a smooth system where these people who are still younger in age and then stronger in terms of health and in terms of capacity to lead.
“They have led in the past. They have been tested. They are trusted. People are looking for a change.
“Nigerians are tired of being led by people who should be in their farmhouses, relaxing and praying for the nation. People have no business coming to the leadership space, because by their age, they should be resting.
“So, it’s a very hopeful alliance. And I longed for an alliance. It is an alliance that, once the system is allowed to flow naturally, I think the people would want a change.”
Alliance talks ‘gaining momentum’ – Tanko
On his part, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, said ongoing discussions between Obi and Kwankwaso are beginning to yield results ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tanko, who spoke in an interview with DAILY POST on Tuesday, disclosed that talks between both camps date back to the aftermath of the 2023 elections, stressing that the objective is to build a broad-based coalition to “rescue Nigeria.”
He said the proposed collaboration could extend beyond the two political figures to include other stakeholders across the country.
According to him, a partnership between supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso would significantly boost opposition strength and improve electoral prospects.
Tanko described the potential alliance as timely, citing growing public dissatisfaction with the current state of the country and increasing calls for a shift in leadership.
The Obidient Movement coordinator expressed optimism that a united opposition front could mount a formidable challenge in 2027, adding that recent engagements between both camps have already generated widespread public interest and support.
Tanko said: “Well since 2023, we started this discussion with His Excellency Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. We believe that every hand must be on deck to rescue Nigeria.
“I believe that particular discussion is one that is yielding fruit for them to collaborate together. And this collaboration may not only end up with Rabiu Kwankwaso but with all well meaning Nigerians.
“It will make a lot of meaning if we have the Obidient and then the Kwankwaso group working together as a team. It will give us a lot of mileage and give us a lot of support. That for me is my own thinking.
“I think this is even the best option and the best time for such an alliance to work, considering the decay in the country that has prompted a lot of people agitating for a complete shift from the normal norm.
“We’ve been having leaders who are above 80 to 90 years old. Now we have possibly two of them who are within the range of 60 years old, and that, of course, will give us a more energetic kind of leaders that can be responsive to the yearning and restoration of every Nigerian.
“So I think this is the one of the best opportunities that they have, at least the opposition have. Once they can come together and work as a team, I can tell you they can climb anything that they want to climb, seeing the nature and the way in which this visit has elicited a lot of support from the Nigerian people.”
Obi–Kwankwaso alliance: Opposition’s last hope – Analyst
Meanwhile, a public affairs analyst and communication expert at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, has described the recent meeting between Obi and Kwankwaso as a critical turning point for Nigeria’s opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with DAILY POST on Tuesday, Odo said the alliance talks were long overdue, noting that both politicians should have initiated such discussions as far back as 2022.
He, however, described the recent Kano meeting as a “shocker” in Nigeria’s political landscape, warning that the growing dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, poses a threat to opposition politics.
Odo said the Obi–Kwankwaso engagement currently represents the “only light in the tunnel” for opposition forces, expressing doubt over the capacity of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to remain competitive in 2027.
He stressed that a strong opposition is vital for democracy, adding that President Bola Tinubu, known for his political strategy, would likely move to weaken any emerging alliance.
The analyst said the success of the proposed coalition would depend on the sincerity and commitment of both leaders, urging them to move beyond symbolic meetings to building a formidable political force.
Odo said: “The meeting between Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Kwankwaso is already four years late. The alignment the meeting may give birth to against 2027 is something the two men should have reasoned as far back as 2022.
“However, the Kano event has become the most recent shocker in Nigeria politics towards 2027.
“At the rate the ruling APC is going, they target to wipe out opposition politics in Nigeria. Remember that APC won only 15 governorship seats in 2023.
“Today, about 15 from opposition governors have switched allegiances to the ruling party. That is not good for democracy.
“That Obi-Kwankwaso meeting in Kano seems to be the only light in the tunnel of the opposition. As I once predicted, PDP is a lost cause and may not field a presidential candidate in 2027.
“Anyone who loves democracy, whatever your party, should encourage good opposition. Tinubu is a crafty politician, someone who maintained strong opposition while a governor and as a APC coalition leader.
“I know he’ll be working day and night to fish out something to whittle down this alliance. Well, that is politics.
“If Obi and Kwankwaso are serious, they’ll give Tinubu a hard run. First, the two need to sit down to tell themselves the truth.
“Do they want just paparazzi to create the appearance of politicking? Do they really desire to form a formidable force against the ruling party? Do they really care about the pains of Nigerians?
“Their answers to these questions will determine how far they can go.
“APC’s Tinubu government has given the opposition enough materials to win over Nigerians: the exchange rate is crazy, the fuel price is now above N1400 from N200, insecurities have increased and expanded, costs of living is far above the reaches of more than 150 millions of Nigerians.
“What else do you need to dislodge an incumbent government? Competences and willingness of the opposition to organize themselves and sincerely work together.”
2027: Obi–Kwankwaso talks rekindle fresh plot to unseat Tinubu
