*Says He Has Not Declared For President, And All Speculation Is “Premature And Unfounded”
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
Former Kano State Governor and former Minister of Defence, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has issued a formal clarification on his political position, confirming that he and his political associates have commenced “wide-ranging consultations” with leaders from the National Democratic Congress, the Peoples Redemption Party, and other parties, but stating categorically that “no final decision has been taken” regarding his political future and dismissing all speculation about presidential candidacy and political realignment as “premature and unfounded.”
In a statement posted on X on Friday, Kwankwaso addressed the swirl of reports suggesting his imminent defection from the ADC to the NDC alongside Peter Obi, providing a measured response that neither confirmed nor denied the planned move but laid out the factual and political basis for why consultations with alternative platforms have become necessary.
The statement represents the first direct public response from Kwankwaso on the wave of reports about an opposition exodus from the ADC, and its carefully calibrated language suggests a political leader who is keeping all options open while refusing to be rushed into a decision by media pressure or the manoeuvring of competing factions.
Kwankwaso acknowledged that the ADC faces severe challenges that justify the ongoing consultations.
“The recent Supreme Court judgment, while affirming the legitimacy of the David Mark-led National Working Committee, also remitted the matter back to the High Court. This has left the party in a precarious position,” Kwankwaso stated.
He identified two additional threats beyond the Supreme Court’s reserved substantive question. “The Federal High Court has recently ruled to delegitimise the party’s recent convention. The Attorney-General of the Federation has also strangely applied to a Federal High Court to deregister the ADC,” Kwankwaso stated.
The word “strangely” in reference to the AGF’s deregistration application is significant. It signals Kwankwaso’s view that the government’s chief law officer intervening to support the deregistration of the main opposition party is not a routine legal proceeding but an unusual and politically motivated act designed to eliminate the opposition’s primary platform.
In his most revealing observation, Kwankwaso drew a direct parallel between the ADC’s current crisis and the circumstances that forced him and his political associates to leave the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
“We left the NNPP due to externally influenced legal problems that made our stay perilous. The ADC has now been also forced into this difficulty,” Kwankwaso stated.
The statement carries a powerful implication: that the same external forces, presumably linked to the ruling party and its allies, that destabilised the NNPP to the point where Kwankwaso’s continued presence became untenable are now applying the same strategy to the ADC. If both parties experienced the same pattern of “externally influenced legal problems,” the conclusion that the pattern is deliberate rather than coincidental becomes difficult to avoid.
The parallel also explains why Kwankwaso and his associates are exploring alternatives rather than simply waiting for the ADC’s legal battles to resolve. Having already experienced the destruction of one political platform through externally sponsored litigation, they are unwilling to risk the same outcome by remaining passive while the same playbook is executed against the ADC.
While declining to announce a final decision, Kwankwaso confirmed that consultations with alternative platforms are actively underway.
“Consequently, like other major stakeholders, we have commenced wide-ranging consultations, including with leaders from the NDC, PRP and others, to explore the best options for protecting our democratic interests,” Kwankwaso stated.
“We shall announce our decision in the soonest possible time,” he added.
The confirmation that consultations include the NDC aligns with reports from TheNigerialawyer and other outlets that Obi and Kwankwaso have been “interfacing” with NDC National Leader Senator Seriake Dickson, and that the NDC has offered them a presidential ticket with a two-week window to defect.
The inclusion of the PRP alongside the NDC suggests Kwankwaso is exploring multiple options rather than committing to a single alternative, maintaining negotiating leverage and ensuring he has a fallback if the NDC proves unsuitable or is itself targeted by the same destabilisation tactics that afflicted the NNPP and the ADC.
Kwankwaso directly addressed the speculation about presidential candidacy and the widely discussed Obi/Kwankwaso ticket.
“On the issue of presidential candidacy, the ADC is yet to zone its presidential ticket or take any decision on a candidate,” Kwankwaso stated.
“I have therefore neither declared any intention to run for president nor endorsed any aspirant. All speculations to the contrary are premature and unfounded,” he added.
The statement is carefully constructed. By noting that the ADC has not zoned its ticket, Kwankwaso implicitly challenges the reports from Obi’s camp that “the party seems designed and structured to favour an individual aspirant” and that the ADC is “not ready to zone their presidential ticket to the South.” Kwankwaso’s position is that no zoning decision has been made at all, meaning the ticket remains open to candidates from any region.
By stating he has neither declared nor endorsed, Kwankwaso distances himself from the Obi/Kwankwaso 2027 Movement that has been organising a Unity Summit in Abuja, and from the reports suggesting the two men have agreed on a joint ticket. His position is that any such arrangement is premature because the party itself has not determined its processes.
Kwankwaso used the statement to remind Nigerians of his record of placing “national interest and party unity above personal ambition,” citing two specific instances.
“In the 2014 APC presidential primary, I came second to President Muhammadu Buhari, whom I fully supported to victory, with Atiku Abubakar third, Rochas Okorocha fourth, and the late Sam Nda-Isaiah fifth,” Kwankwaso recalled.
“Similarly, in 2019, I contested the PDP presidential ticket and immediately supported the winner, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, serving as the campaign’s coordinator in the North,” he added.
“I have always placed national interest and party unity above personal ambition,” Kwankwaso stated.
The recounting of his electoral history serves multiple purposes. It establishes Kwankwaso as a serious presidential contender who has competed at the highest level. It demonstrates his willingness to step aside and support the winner, countering any perception that he would disrupt the opposition if he does not emerge as the candidate. And it positions him as someone whose democratic credentials are proven through action, not merely rhetoric.
The specific mention of finishing ahead of Atiku in the 2014 APC primary is a subtle but important point. In the current speculation about the opposition’s presidential ticket, Atiku is often discussed as the frontrunner based on his 2019 and 2023 runs. Kwankwaso’s reminder that he finished second while Atiku finished third in a primary they both contested challenges that narrative and asserts his own claim to be considered a leading contender.
Kwankwaso addressed his absence from two recent ADC stakeholders’ meetings, which had fuelled speculation about his disengagement from the party.
“My absence from the two recent ADC stakeholders’ meetings was due to unavoidable personal commitments. I promptly communicated my apologies to the party leadership,” Kwankwaso stated.
The explanation is straightforward but unlikely to fully dispel the suspicion that his absence reflected a deliberate distancing from the ADC rather than scheduling conflicts. The timing of the absences, coinciding with the period when reports of his planned defection were circulating, invites the interpretation that Kwankwaso was already looking beyond the ADC even before the Supreme Court judgment.
Kwankwaso’s statement, while ostensibly a clarification designed to counter speculation, actually confirms several of the key elements of the reports it seeks to address.
It confirms that the ADC is in a “precarious position” that justifies exploring alternatives. It confirms that consultations with the NDC and PRP are underway. It confirms that “other major stakeholders” are engaged in similar consultations, aligning with reports about Obi’s parallel discussions with the NDC. It confirms that the ADC has not zoned its ticket, meaning the internal question of which region produces the presidential candidate remains unresolved. And it confirms that a decision will be announced “in the soonest possible time,” suggesting the timeline is days rather than weeks.
What the statement does not confirm is which platform Kwankwaso will ultimately choose, whether he will run for president or accept a vice-presidential position, and whether the Obi/Kwankwaso ticket that has been publicly discussed represents an agreed arrangement or mere speculation.
Read as a negotiating document rather than a simple clarification, Kwankwaso’s statement positions him as an independent actor who will make his own decision based on his own assessment of the options, rather than following Obi’s lead or being swept along by the media narrative of an inevitable ADC-to-NDC migration.
By noting that he has not declared for president or endorsed anyone, he preserves his ability to negotiate the terms of his participation in any ticket, whether as presidential candidate, vice-presidential candidate, or coalition partner with his own conditions.
By citing his record of supporting winners in previous primaries, he signals to potential partners that he can be a reliable ally but also that he expects the same respect and consideration he has shown to others.
By confirming consultations with multiple parties rather than just the NDC, he avoids being seen as having already committed to a specific platform, maintaining leverage in negotiations with all potential hosts.
Kwankwaso concluded with a commitment to constructive engagement and a promise that any definitive position would be communicated through official channels.
“We shall continue to engage constructively at all levels. Any definitive position on our political direction will be communicated formally through official channels at the appropriate time,” Kwankwaso stated.
The emphasis on “official channels” and “appropriate time” is a rebuke to the sources, aides, and unnamed officials who have been speaking to the media about his plans. Kwankwaso is asserting control over his own narrative, signalling that whatever he decides, the announcement will come from him directly, not through leaks and unnamed sources.
For the opposition, for the ADC, for the NDC, and for the millions of Nigerians who are following the opposition’s internal manoeuvring with a mixture of hope and frustration, Kwankwaso’s statement offers clarity on one point and uncertainty on everything else.
The clarity: the ADC’s problems are real, consultations with alternative platforms are happening, and a decision is coming soon.
The uncertainty: what that decision will be, which platform will host it, and whether the opposition can resolve its internal contradictions in time to meet the electoral deadlines that grow closer with every passing day.
As Kwankwaso stated: “We shall announce our decision in the soonest possible time.”
Nigeria waits.
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
_______________________________________________________________________ [A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
The book, titled The Law of Torts in Nigeria: A Functional Approach, authored by Professor Hagler Sunny Okorie Ph.D and Ikeocha, Nathaniel Ngozi Esq, offers law students, practitioners, and academics a comprehensive guide to understanding and applying tort law in Nigerian courts. Interested buyers can place orders via the following contact numbers: 08028636615, 08037667945, 08032253813, or +234 902 196 2209.
