The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has dismissed Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s response to its earlier statement as diversionary, insisting that his reaction has further raised questions about his political alignment with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The ADC-PCC had earlier advised Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), whose presidential candidate is Peter Obi, to stop attacking the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and redirect his energy towards holding the ruling APC accountable for its failures.
The Council maintained that, as an opposition figure, Kwankwaso should be challenging the Tinubu administration over the worsening economic hardship, insecurity and declining living standards confronting Nigerians, rather than repeatedly targeting Atiku and the ADC.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC-PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Kwankwaso’s response had failed to address the substance of the Council’s concerns.
According to the ADC-PCC, Kwankwaso casually mentioned the APC in his defence but devoted much of his response to attacking the ADC, a development it said raised questions about his priorities as an opposition leader.
“Why is Senator Kwankwaso making our candidate the issue instead of confronting the ruling APC, whose policies have made life increasingly difficult for millions of Nigerians?” the Council asked.
It argued that Nigerians were more concerned about hunger, insecurity, high fuel prices, the depreciation of the naira and the crushing economic hardship under the APC-led government than political exchanges among opposition figures.
The Council insisted that these national challenges should be the priority of any politician genuinely committed to providing an alternative to the Tinubu administration.
It further challenged Kwankwaso to explain why his political attacks appeared more frequently directed at Atiku and the ADC than at the ruling party responsible for the country’s current challenges.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the ADC cannot and will not be distracted by Senator Kwankwaso,” the Council declared.
Describing the ADC as a strong and increasingly accepted political platform, the ADC-PCC said it remained focused on mobilising Nigerians around its commitment to rescuing the country from what it described as the failures of APC governance.
The Council also challenged Kwankwaso to stop using attacks on the ADC to curry political favour with the ruling party and instead demonstrate the courage to openly align himself with the APC if he shares its political agenda.
The ADC-PCC reaffirmed its determination to remain united, focused and committed to offering Nigerians a credible alternative in the 2027 general election.
