Peter Obi and Kwankwaso Set to Formally Exit ADC on Monday, Join NDC — Sources

It is no longer a rumour. Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso are set to formally announce their departure from the African Democratic Congress on Monday, May 4 — and their destination is the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the party linked to former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson.

The confirmation came from multiple sources on Saturday. Buba Galadima, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party and a close ally of both men, disclosed it at a stakeholders’ meeting of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement in Abuja. Habibu Mohammed, spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya movement, separately told TheCable that talks with the NDC were “about 90 percent” concluded and that both leaders would move “on Monday or Tuesday.”

What Galadima Said

Galadima did not name the NDC explicitly, but sources close to the former governors confirmed to Punch that both men had been “concluding arrangements” to join the newly floated party. An insider described the pace of events: “Both Obi, Kwankwaso and their chieftains were on ground between yesterday and this morning signing the relevant documents with Senator Dickson and the NDC leaders.”

He also warned the crowd to expect a coordinated backlash once the announcement drops. “As from Monday, when our leaders declare on which platform they will run, I want to tell you that one of two things will happen,” he said. “First, they will sponsor columnists. Two, they will deploy social media influencers to start attacking our candidates.”

What Tipped the Scale

The Kwankwasiyya spokesperson pointed directly to the Supreme Court’s latest ruling on the ADC leadership crisis as the final straw. On Thursday, the apex court set aside the status quo ante bellum order in the ADC leadership dispute and sent the matter back to the Federal High Court — effectively resetting the dispute without resolving it, and leaving the party’s legal standing uncertain ahead of 2027.

“If you look at the case referred back to the lower court, it might take time. There could even be another appeal to the Supreme Court. It does not look feasible to stay there,” Mohammed told TheCable. “The entire caucus voted unanimously that a better platform, not embedded in a leadership tussle, should be used.”

Stakeholders from all 44 local government areas in Kano had gathered at Kwankwaso’s Miller Road residence on Friday to deliberate — and gave him unanimous approval to defect. Kwankwaso is reportedly in Kano and is expected back in Abuja by Sunday ahead of Monday’s announcement.

The Atiku Factor — Again

The anonymous source inside the opposition camp did not hide the frustration with how events unfolded inside the ADC. “We discovered late that Atiku and his loyalists lured our leaders to that opposition party to fulfil only one single mission — Atiku’s presidential ambition,” the source said.

The NDC, which has been actively courting both men for weeks, reportedly offered the party’s presidential ticket without the internal contest that the ADC primary threatened to become. For Obi and Kwankwaso, the calculation appears to be that a clean platform — free from the Atiku dynamic and the ADC’s legal headaches — gives them a stronger runway to 2027.

Sources: Punch, TheCable, Daily Trust