The Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has revealed that former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and Kano State’s Rabiu Kwankwaso will on Monday announce their move to a new political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Galadima made the disclosure on Saturday at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement in Abuja, signalling a major realignment within the opposition political space.
Though he did not explicitly name the new platform, sources close to the two leaders indicated that they are finalising arrangements to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a party reportedly linked to former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson.
A source within the opposition leaders’ camp, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Obi, Kwankwaso, and their key allies had been signing necessary documentation with Senator Dickson and NDC leaders over the past 48 hours.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened in the ADC to occur again,” the source said. “We discovered late that Atiku and his loyalists lured our leaders to that opposition party to fulfil only one single mission – Atiku’s presidential ambition. All is now set. Both Obi and Kwankwaso will announce their defection from the ADC on Monday.”
The development comes amid recent Supreme Court rulings affecting opposition parties and growing uncertainty over the structure of anti-ruling party coalitions.
Addressing journalists at the meeting, Galadima urged supporters to prepare for what he described as inevitable coordinated attacks once the announcement is made. He warned of sponsored media columns and social media campaigns aimed at discrediting the leaders.
“As from Monday, when our leaders declare on which platform they will run, I want to tell you that one of two things will happen,” Galadima said. “First, they will sponsor columnists. Two, they will deploy social media influencers to start attacking our candidates… We must come to them with the ferociousness that is needed of an intelligent man.”
He advised supporters to adopt a measured but firm approach: “Don’t call anybody any name until they call our leaders names. Then we will respond with the greatest might of intellect in us… We are already lying flat on the floor. Are we afraid to fall?”
Galadima further alleged a pattern of repression against opposition figures, claiming security agencies had been used to malign and detain leaders in an initial phase, followed by the systematic weakening of various opposition parties including the SDP, PDP, ADC, NDP, and PRP.
Also speaking at the event, Isaac Fayose, brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, threw his weight behind the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance, declaring it a strong alternative for the 2027 polls.
“I am not a politician and don’t need to join your political party. But let me say that O-K (Obi-Kwankwaso) is okay for me,” Fayose stated. He claimed strong support for the alliance across 28 states and called for vigilance against electoral manipulation.
Activist Aisha Yesufu, who also addressed the gathering, appealed for national unity beyond ethnic and regional lines.
“It is time for us to become a nation that is working,” she said. “The next time they say to you that this is an Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba person, tell them indeed, we are all Nigerians… We must unite right now.”
The sun
