Nigerian opposition moves toward forming a united front ahead of next year's elections

NIGERIA'S next elections could become a more close-run affairs after former Kano State governor senator Rabiu Kwankwaso formally joined the opposition coalition the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Next year, Nigeria will go to the polls with presidential, governorship, senate, House of Representatives and state houses of assembly elections all holding. However, many commentators have dismissed the exercise as a mere formality, given that 32 of Nigeria's 36 governors are currently members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

This came about because since assuming office in 2023, President Bola Tinubu has consistently wooed members of the opposition, getting governors and members of the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to join the APC. Last month, Kano State's Governor Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), one of Senator Kwakwaso's most loyal lieutenants, also defected to the APC.

Come Nigeria's next elections in May 2027, the ADC is expected to try and unite the opposition against President Tinubu's APC and turn the presidential election into a two-horse race. Incumbent, President Bola Tinubu is expected to go for a second term and two of the contestants who stood against him in 2023, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi and ex-vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are among the leaders of this new ADC alliance.

Senator Kwankwaso was also a candidate in the 2023 presidential elections, standing on the NNPP platform and his defection to the ADC is expected to solidify the opposition. What makes his entering into the race is the fact that he holds sway in the highly populated Kano State, which has a lot of votes.

Kano State has 44 local government areas and a large voter population, making it as a critical battleground, alongside Rivers and Lagos states. it now remains to be seen who will pick up the ADC presidential ticket with Kwankwaso, Obi and Atiku all expected to throw their hats into the ring.

Governor Obi has already called for unity among opposition forces, saying Senator Kwankwaso’s move to the ADC marks a significant development in efforts to rebuild Nigeria’s democracy. He made the call when he visited Kano on Monday at the invitation of Senator Kwankwaso, describing him as an elder brother.

 “Yesterday, Monday March 30, I returned to the north’s commercial nerve centre, Kano on the invitation of my dear elder brother, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, whose decision to join our party marks yet another significant step in the collective effort to rescue and rebuild our democracy and dear nation, Nigeria. As I have consistently maintained, this is the time for all opposition forces and well-meaning Nigerians to set aside their differences and work together in unity of purpose.

“We must move beyond the politics of division, ethnicity, religion and region and embrace the politics of competence, character, capacity, compassion and commitment to a better Nigeria. The task before us is not about winning elections alone, it is about rebuilding institutions, restoring confidence in governance and securing a better future for our children,” Governor Obi added.