Moves to float a joint 2027 presidential ticket featuring Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso are already running into stiff resistance from key northern stakeholders. While support groups have been promoting an Obi–Kwankwaso alliance under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or a new platform, many northern leaders say they remain unconvinced about the project and its chances.
Northern elders and youth groups argue that Obi still suffers a trust deficit in parts of the region, with some politicians repeatedly linking him to alleged sympathy for the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) – a charge his camp has consistently denied. They also insist that his 2023 performance in core northern states shows he has a lot of ground to cover despite strong youth enthusiasm and social media visibility.
There are also complaints that the proposed platform for the alliance is weak in the region, with leaders claiming that parties like the ADC remain “largely unknown” at the grassroots in the North. According to them, unless Obi and Kwankwaso quickly build structures, strengthen ward–level agents and improve physical visibility, the project risks becoming another elite conversation with little electoral impact.
In Kano and other North-West states once considered Kwankwaso strongholds, analysts say defections and internal wrangling have eroded parts of his political base. They point to the weakening of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, court battles and a wave of realignments that have seen some of his key allies drift back to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
For many northern power brokers, the unresolved debates over zoning remain another major barrier. With strong indications that the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may rotate their 2027 tickets to the South, some leaders are reluctant to back another candidacy perceived as “Southern‑led,” even with Kwankwaso on the ticket, arguing that the North should carefully negotiate its post‑2027 future.
Despite the headwinds, Obi and Kwankwaso’s supporters believe that economic hardship and insecurity have opened a window for a fresh coalition that can cut across old party and regional lines. Pressure groups such as the Obi–Kwankwaso Movement and fragments of the Obidient structure say they are already building structures across the 36 states and the FCT, insisting that youth mobilisation and a united opposition remain the only realistic path to defeating the ruling APC in 2027.
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