Last Sunday, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, paid a Sallah visit to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, in Kano State.
According to a post on X by Yunusa Tanko, the meeting focused on strategies aimed at advancing shared goals and making Nigeria work better for all citizens.
The visit has reignited speculation about a possible alliance between the two politicians, whose separate bids in the 2023 presidential election may have cost them a stronger joint opportunity.
It will be recalled that previous alliance talks between both camps ahead of the 2023 elections failed due to disagreements over power-sharing, party control, and the presidential ticket. At the time, Obi rode on the momentum of the Obidient movement, while Kwankwaso drew strength from his Kwankwasiyya base, particularly in Northern Nigeria.
Their inability to unite led to parallel campaigns, splitting opposition votes and contributing to the victory of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. Many observers believe a coalition could have significantly changed the election outcome.
Meanwhile, fresh efforts are underway to revive such an alliance. Speaking on Morning Show on Arise Television, political editor Sumner Sambo revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is spearheading moves to unite key opposition figures ahead of the 2027 elections.
He disclosed that a committee set up in December has already initiated discussions involving Obi and Kwankwaso, with plans to also engage other major figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi to form a broad coalition.
Sambo added that Kwankwaso is facing increasing pressure from political stakeholders to reconsider joining a wider alliance, noting that the success of such a coalition would depend on managing competing interests and building consensus.
Also speaking, the National Legal Adviser of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Magaji Mato, said many Nigerians are eager to see an Obi–Kwankwaso alliance ahead of 2027.
He described the potential partnership as one long anticipated, noting that both leaders are seen as capable, experienced, and trusted by citizens seeking change. He added that public reactions to Obi’s visit indicate strong grassroots support for such a move.
Mato expressed optimism that, if allowed to develop naturally, the alliance could significantly reshape the 2027 elections.
On his part, Tanko said discussions between both camps are already gaining traction. He noted that talks began shortly after the 2023 elections and are aimed at building a broad coalition to “rescue Nigeria.”
He added that the collaboration could extend beyond the two figures to include other stakeholders nationwide, stressing that a united opposition would be better positioned to challenge in 2027.
Tanko concluded that growing public dissatisfaction and increasing calls for change make the proposed alliance both timely and promising, with recent engagements already generating widespread interest and support.
Tanko said: “Well since 2023, we started this discussion with His Excellency Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. We believe that every hand must be on deck to rescue Nigeria.
“I believe that particular discussion is one that is yielding fruit for them to collaborate together. And this collaboration may not only end up with Rabiu Kwankwaso but with all well meaning Nigerians.
“It will make a lot of meaning if we have the Obidient and then the Kwankwaso group working together as a team. It will give us a lot of mileage and give us a lot of support. That for me is my own thinking.
“I think this is even the best option and the best time for such an alliance to work, considering the decay in the country that has prompted a lot of people agitating for a complete shift from the normal norm.
“We’ve been having leaders who are above 80 to 90 years old. Now we have possibly two of them who are within the range of 60 years old, and that, of course, will give us a more energetic kind of leaders that can be responsive to the yearning and restoration of every Nigerian.
“So I think this is the one of the best opportunities that they have, at least the opposition have. Once they can come together and work as a team, I can tell you they can climb anything that they want to climb, seeing the nature and the way in which this visit has elicited a lot of support from the Nigerian people.”
Obi–Kwankwaso alliance: Opposition’s last hope – Analyst
Meanwhile, a public affairs analyst and communication expert at Peaceland University, Enugu, Nduka Odo, has described the recent meeting between Obi and Kwankwaso as a critical turning point for Nigeria’s opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an interview with DAILY POST on Tuesday, Odo said the alliance talks were long overdue, noting that both politicians should have initiated such discussions as far back as 2022.
He, however, described the recent Kano meeting as a “shocker” in Nigeria’s political landscape, warning that the growing dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, poses a threat to opposition politics.
Odo said the Obi–Kwankwaso engagement currently represents the “only light in the tunnel” for opposition forces, expressing doubt over the capacity of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to remain competitive in 2027.
He stressed that a strong opposition is vital for democracy, adding that President Bola Tinubu, known for his political strategy, would likely move to weaken any emerging alliance.
The analyst said the success of the proposed coalition would depend on the sincerity and commitment of both leaders, urging them to move beyond symbolic meetings to building a formidable political force.
Odo said: “The meeting between Mr. Peter Obi and Dr. Kwankwaso is already four years late. The alignment the meeting may give birth to against 2027 is something the two men should have reasoned as far back as 2022.
“However, the Kano event has become the most recent shocker in Nigeria politics towards 2027.
“At the rate the ruling APC is going, they target to wipe out opposition politics in Nigeria. Remember that APC won only 15 governorship seats in 2023.
“Today, about 15 from opposition governors have switched allegiances to the ruling party. That is not good for democracy.
“That Obi-Kwankwaso meeting in Kano seems to be the only light in the tunnel of the opposition. As I once predicted, PDP is a lost cause and may not field a presidential candidate in 2027.
“Anyone who loves democracy, whatever your party, should encourage good opposition. Tinubu is a crafty politician, someone who maintained strong opposition while a governor and as a APC coalition leader.
“I know he’ll be working day and night to fish out something to whittle down this alliance. Well, that is politics.
“If Obi and Kwankwaso are serious, they’ll give Tinubu a hard run. First, the two need to sit down to tell themselves the truth.
“Do they want just paparazzi to create the appearance of politicking? Do they really desire to form a formidable force against the ruling party? Do they really care about the pains of Nigerians?
“Their answers to these questions will determine how far they can go.
“APC’s Tinubu government has given the opposition enough materials to win over Nigerians: the exchange rate is crazy, the fuel price is now above N1400 from N200, insecurities have increased and expanded, costs of living is far above the reaches of more than 150 millions of Nigerians.
“What else do you need to dislodge an incumbent government? Competences and willingness of the opposition to organize themselves and sincerely work together.”
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