Peter Obi, Kwankwaso St0rm NDC Secretariat, Finalise Defection From ADC

The duo, accompanied by a heavy contingent of National Assembly members, stormed the NDC National Secretariat in Abuja to finalize their entry into the party.

The political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections underwent a seismic shift on Sunday as former presidential candidates Mr. Peter Obi and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso officially dumped the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The duo, accompanied by a heavy contingent of National Assembly members, stormed the NDC National Secretariat in Abuja to finalize their entry into the party.

This move comes just hours after Obi announced his resignation from the ADC, citing insurmountable challenges within the party’s structure.

Senator Kwankwaso, who had earlier hinted at wide-ranging consultations following legal threats to deregister the ADC, confirmed that he and Obi reached a mutual agreement to quit the embattled platform.

Before arriving at the party’s headquarters, the political leaders led a massive wave of supporters to the Abuja residence of the NDC National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson. Following a high-level meeting, the group proceeded to the NDC Secretariat, where they were officially welcomed into the fold.

Insiders suggest that the realignment has already settled the party’s top ticket, with Peter Obi expected to fly the NDC presidential flag while Kwankwaso will serve as his running mate.

The defection has effectively gutted the ADC’s presence in the National Assembly. The party has reportedly lost the majority of its federal lawmakers, many of whom had originally joined the ADC from the Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Key figures leading the legislative exodus include Senator Victor Umeh, who is expected to coordinate the movement of the majority of South-East lawmakers into the NDC.

While Kwankwaso, will lead the defection of lawmakers originally from the NNPP; Nasiru Gawuna, the 2023 Kano APC governorship candidate, is also reportedly joining the NDC alongside former Kano Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo.

The collapse of the opposition coalition within the ADC follows a period of intense legal instability. Kwankwaso had previously raised the alarm over a “precarious” situation involving a Supreme Court ruling and a “strange” application by the Attorney General of the Federation to deregister the party.

While the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, had earlier dismissed reports of the party’s demise as “unfounded,” the departure of its most prominent stakeholders and the bulk of its legislative wing signals a major blow to the party’s 2027 ambitions.

The NDC now emerges as the primary hub for the country’s leading opposition figures as they attempt to build a formidable front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).