Kwankwaso denies finalised exit plans amid ADC crisis, confirms consultations with NDC, PRP

By AbdulHakeem Salami

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has issued a public clarification stating that no final decision has been reached regarding his political future, even as mounting legal crises within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) push him and other major opposition figures toward the exit door.

In a statement released via his official X account, the former Kano State Governor acknowledged that he and his associates have begun “wide-ranging consultations” with leaders of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and others, but stopped short of announcing a formal defection.

The clarification comes amid a deteriorating situation within the ADC. A recent Supreme Court judgment, while affirming the legitimacy of the David Mark-led National Working Committee, simultaneously remitted a related matter back to the High Court leaving the party’s leadership structure in a state of unresolved legal uncertainty.

A Federal High Court has since ruled to delegitimize the party’s most recent national convention, and the Attorney General of the Federation has applied to deregister the ADC entirely.

Kwankwaso drew a direct parallel to his earlier exit from the NNPP, which he said was similarly driven by “externally influenced legal problems,” suggesting a pattern of orchestrated interference against opposition platforms.

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On the question of a presidential bid, the former governor was emphatic. He recalled finishing second to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2014 APC presidential primary ahead of Atiku Abubakar, Rochas Okorocha, and the late Sam Nda-Isaiah and supporting Atiku as the party’s flag-bearer and serving as campaign coordinator in the North following the 2019 PDP contest.

He cited both as evidence of a consistent record of placing national interest above personal ambition, and noted that the ADC has not yet zoned its presidential ticket nor taken any decision on a candidate. He has neither declared an intention to run nor endorsed any aspirant.

Kwankwaso also addressed his absence from two recent ADC stakeholders’ meetings, attributing it to unavoidable personal commitments and confirming that he communicated his apologies to party leadership promptly.

A definitive announcement on his political direction, he said, would be made “through official channels at the appropriate time.”