The longstanding political feud between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, has been blamed for the fragmentation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)-led opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Multiple sources within the ADC and the Kwankwasiyya Movement told Sunday PUNCH that Obasanjo strongly opposed Atiku emerging as the coalition’s presidential candidate and allegedly urged party leaders to prevent his nomination if they wanted his support.
The claims have, however, been disputed by associates of Peter Obi, while Obasanjo’s media aide declined to comment.
A senior ADC official alleged that Obasanjo contacted some leaders of the party and made his position on Atiku clear before Obi considered leaving the coalition.
According to the source, the former president’s stance intensified internal tensions among supporters of the leading presidential aspirants.
“Obi had not even nursed defection at that time. After that discussion with Baba, Obi’s supporters began the ‘Obi or nobody’ mantra and there was turbulence which we were able to manage,” the official said.
The source claimed Obasanjo and Obi later interpreted the Ibadan Opposition Coalition Summit as an attempt to produce an Atiku-Makinde presidential ticket, prompting preparations to leave the ADC.
Another party insider said when it became apparent Obi was considering leaving the ADC, the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and other leaders met Obasanjo in late April.
The source claimed the delegation sought the former president’s intervention to persuade Obi to remain in the coalition.
However, Obasanjo allegedly insisted that Obi could only stay if Atiku was prevented from securing the presidential ticket.
“An Atiku-Obi alliance would have secured victory for ADC, but Baba obviously didn’t want Atiku to realise his presidential ambition,” the source said.
Obi eventually left the ADC on May 3, citing internal crises and what he described as the urgent need to respond to Nigeria’s worsening situation.
An associate of Aregbesola confirmed that the former Osun State governor made efforts to stop both Obi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso from leaving the party.
“Oga did everything to stop Obi and Kwankwaso from leaving the ADC. He went to meet Obasanjo and other key leaders of the country,” the source said.
The associate, however, said he could not confirm whether Obasanjo personally instructed Obi to defect.
A chieftain of the Kwankwasiyya Movement also alleged that Obasanjo played an important role in Obi’s eventual exit from the ADC.
The source said the former president had initially supported an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket and was deeply involved in the opposition coalition project.
“From the beginning, the former President has eyed the ADC presidential ticket for Obi. He is the brains behind his movement to the ADC. He was driving the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket,” the source alleged.
According to him, Obi and Kwankwaso had a joint ticket committee working on strategy before it became clear that Atiku was likely to secure the ADC presidential nomination.
The source said both politicians subsequently left the coalition after consultations with Obasanjo.
He nevertheless cautioned against blaming the former president entirely for the breakdown of the coalition, noting that Obasanjo had also helped persuade some prominent politicians to join the ADC.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also said Obasanjo’s opposition to Atiku contributed to Obi’s departure and weakened the coalition.
“Everybody in Nigeria is aware of Obasanjo’s hate for Atiku for whatever reason,” Abdullahi said.
“It is public knowledge that Obasanjo is behind Obi’s exit from the ADC.”
He alleged that Obasanjo had urged some party leaders to prevent Atiku from emerging as the presidential candidate.
Abdullahi, however, said he was unaware of any formal delegation sent to persuade Obasanjo to support an Atiku-Obi ticket.
He acknowledged that the dispute complicated opposition coalition-building.
“It has affected the work of coalition building and the opposition would probably have it much easier if the coalition had not been fractured,” he said.
The ADC spokesman nevertheless expressed confidence that the party could still defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, said he was unaware of any directive from Obasanjo asking Obi to leave the ADC.
According to him, Obi’s departure was based on political and legal considerations surrounding the party at the time.
“All I know is that decisions were made based on the prevailing circumstances then,” Tanko said.
“We knew ADC had court cases that may deprive Obi to run for election, and we didn’t want to go through that stress.”
He added that Obi had always maintained that he intended to contest the 2027 presidential election rather than serve as another candidate’s running mate.
“From the beginning, Obi had made it clear that he would be on the ballot for the presidency,” Tanko said.
He also described Obi’s relationship with Obasanjo and Atiku as cordial.
Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, declined to comment on the allegations.
Further calls and messages to him were reportedly unanswered as of the time of filing the report.
Obasanjo and Atiku’s political relationship deteriorated while they served as president and vice president between 1999 and 2007.
Atiku eventually left the PDP for the Action Congress in 2006 amid disagreements with Obasanjo.
The feud resurfaced publicly in recent days after Obasanjo described selecting Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as the biggest mistake of his presidency.
Atiku responded by accusing his former boss of attempting to rewrite history and said his refusal to support Obasanjo’s alleged third-term ambition remained a major source of their disagreement.
The former vice president maintained that the longstanding rift would not prevent him from pursuing his 2027 presidential ambition.
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