Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former Kano governor, has denied that bad blood with Atiku Abubakar prompted his exit from the ADC. He and Peter Obi quit the party over serious structural problems, he insisted.
Speaking on Arise Television on Monday, Kwankwaso outlined three major issues plaguing the party. He argued these problems would cripple ADC's ability to field candidates in coming elections.
According to him, the decision wasn't personal. "Peter Obi himself decided to leave ADC not because we are fighting with Atiku Abubakar or anybody there," Kwankwaso noted.
He stressed that politics demands flexibility and sharp strategic thinking. Walking away from a party doesn't mean declaring war on anyone, he added.
Kwankwaso rejected the idea that opposition figures harbor deep hostility toward each other. Electoral contests, in his view, shouldn't be mistaken for personal vendettas.
He drew on his own political history to illustrate the point. Back in 2015, he contested in a primary alongside Atiku, Buhari, Rochas Okoroska, and the late Isaiah Balaji-Mohammed.
"Buhari was number one, I was number two, he was number three, Rochas Okorocha was number four, and late Isaiah was number five," he recalled. There were no grudges then.
Four years later, Atiku won the 2019 presidential primary. Kwankwaso served as his campaign coordinator for the North, working hard for his ticket.
"Politics is just like a game," Kwankwaso told the television host. "I'm not fighting anybody, and I'm not expecting anybody to fight me."
Whether ADC will ultimately overcome its internal challenges and nominate candidates remains uncertain. Kwankwaso's comments suggest the party's future viability is very much in question.
