Ahead of the primaries for the 2027 presidential tickets, the leadership of the opposition African Democratic Congress(ADC) has got a matching order to deliver Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively.

The directive, which has been dubbed: ‘Obi/Kwankwaso Ticket’, was arrived at after a meeting of some retired former Heads of State and Generals, who were said to be unhappy with the state of affairs of the country, especially, killings in some parts of the country, especially the North Central and the North Western parts of the country.

A top chieftain of the party and member of the Manifesto Drafting Committee, who did not want his name mentioned told Sunday Telegraph, that there were words from the Generals, after the private meeting between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida in Minna last month, that the party should do everything possible to deliver the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket during the party primaries.

He said that while many people believe that Obi was not disposed to primaries, especially against Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, they were convinced that an Obi ticket was possible, even from an ADC primary election. He said: “Perhaps, it is only General Aliyu Gusau, who is not on board yet.

But I was told by one of the Generals that we must deliver Obi and Kwankwaso for 2027. Just like in 2023, Gen. Gusau believes Atiku is the best chance for the presidency. But the consensus is that there must be a strong opposition to unseat the President Bola Tinubu-led APC.

So, we believe that as we move towards the primaries, events will become clearer on why Obi will pick the ticket. You can see that Kwankwaso is not moving to the APC yet. That is the main reason. There are serious talks going on beneath on his being Obi’s Deputy in 2027.”

He noted that the age of Atiku and even Tinubu remained a major factor in picking a younger candidate. “Old age is good. But you must accept it and know when your body can’t carry an onerous task as the President of Nigeria. It is an intensive, demanding and critical job.

It doesn’t require someone who can’t stand on his toes for 12 hours”, he said. Besides, Sunday Telegraph Sources, conversant with happenings in the opposition party, said that the insistence of the supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections that it is either Obi or nothing was ruffling feathers in the party.

The supporters, who go by the name Obidient Movement, though are not members of the party, have insisted that Obidient Movement was an idea, whose time has come. Late January, former First Lady of Ondo State, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, declared her intention to contest the 2027 Imo East Senatorial (Owerri Zone), in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

Also, she used the occasion to inaugurate the Owerri Municipal LGA. She said: “I proudly declare that I am Obidient. I stand firmly on Obi or Nothing not as a slogan, but as an affirmation of values.”

“The Obidients phenomenon has become both an enigma to Nigeria and a nightmare to politicians, who wish to preserve the status quo, a system marked by poor infrastructure, food insecurity, abuse of office, human rights violations, insecurity, corruption, impunity, and widespread hardship.

“Peter Obi represents the leadership Nigeria urgently needs, anchored on the 3 Cs: Character, Competence, and Capacity. “His insistence that a single tenure is enough to reset Nigeria is courageous and inspiring. It tells us that purposeful leadership can deliver meaningful change within four years.

I believe him. It is POssible.” This, and others, the Sunday Telegraph has learnt, is causing disquiet in the party. “A lot is going on in the ADC. The officials of the party have called on Obi to talk to his supporters, not to ruffle feathers, by the comments that are going to divide the party, by saying that it is either Obi or nothing.

They instructed him to call a meeting in Abuja and inform them that they should refrain from making statements that could escalate the polity. They were referring to Atiku that he is not patriotic,” one of the Sources said. “The leaders of the ADC cut across the country, and you cannot arrogate it to a section of the country.

And that going forward, they should speak with one voice. He also responded by issuing that statement. In the Atiku camp, what they are saying is that the primary would determine who picks the ticket. However, the third force in the ADC is working on what they call a consensus candidate.

They believe that if they go into the primaries, it will divide the party. So, when they talk about the primaries, they are looking at September or the latest December or even earlier. It is not something that is far away.” Another Source, who confirmed this referred to the Third Force as saying that to confront the APC was not to go with a divided house, and the only way to do that was to pick their presidential candidate via consensus.

This, they call ‘give and take.’ David Mark and even the National Secretary, former Governor Rauf Aregbesola, tried in this direction, but those in the Obi Camp the Obidients the Obi camp and the Atiku camp. There are no mistakes about it.

The Atiku Camp believe that when it comes to primaries, they will pick it and the Obi Camp believe that if Obi is not the Presidential candidate, the party will not be able to defeat the APC. But the Third Force is angling and talking to both sides, ensuring that they do not make inflammatory statements, but go for a consensus that will produce an acceptable presidential and vice presidential candidate.

In the APC too, Sunday Telegraph learnt that the ruling party is doing all to quell the groundswell that the vice president, Kashim Shettima, should be dropped. A source in the party, said that it was not going to happen, especially with the Plateau and Kano axis, asking for such.

With the defection of the Kano State Governor, Kabir Abba Yusuf, into the party, they are asking Kwankwaso to come into the party. “The only way they can get him to come to the party is to make him the vice presidential candidate,” a Source said. “But the APC is also talking to him,” the Source added.

“I believe that the ticket of Tinubu/ Shettima will not be violated. If you cast your mind back, when Obasanjo was under pressure to drop Atiku in 2003, despite the trouble between the two of them Atiku almost ran against him in 2003 Obasanjo did not drop him. Dropping him would have a telling effect on the APC, and it will not augur well for the party.”