New alliance shakes up Nigerian political landscape

Two of Nigeria’s most prominent opposition figures have announced they have switched parties in a dramatic political realignment ahead of next year’s presidential election. Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, who finished third and fourth respectively in the 2023 presidential race, have both joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), raising the prospect of a joint ticket to challenge President Bola Tinubu. They were previously in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), along with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who came second in the last election.

While this could be seen as a fragmentation of the opposition, supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso say it will give their alliance greater focus. Both men are former governors and command significant grassroots followings – the Obedient movement and the Kwankwasiya movement respectively. The move comes just nine months after Obi, Kwankwaso and Abubakar joined the ADC but that alliance quickly became mired in legal battles over party leadership – something Obi blamed on the government.

“The same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC,” Obi said on Sunday. He was the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 election. Allies of President Tinubu have denied that they have been trying to sabotage opposition parties.