Two of Nigeria’s most prominent opposition politicians, former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, formally joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday, May 3, 2026, in a move that reshapes the country’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The two former governors were received at the NDC’s national secretariat in Abuja by the party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, marking their official departure from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Both men cited the prolonged internal crisis within the ADC as a principal reason for leaving. Obi, who ran as the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) before later joining the ADC, said in a statement that the environment within the ADC had made productive political engagement difficult. “A new Nigeria is POssible,” he said, reaffirming his broader reform agenda.
Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and former governor of Kano State, called on supporters and political associates to back the NDC. “We agreed to remain committed to the ideals of peace, unity and progress for our country,” he said after the ceremony.
At the event, Obi pointed to Nigeria’s economic inactivity as a national emergency. “It is unacceptable that more than 50 per cent of our population is not actively engaged in productive activities. That must change if Nigeria is to realise its full potential,” he said.
NDC National Chairman Moses Cleopas described the defections as significant, saying the movement was driven by a collective vision to rescue Nigeria. The event drew party leaders, National Assembly members, and supporters from across the country.
The Kwankwasiyya movement, Kwankwaso’s political organisation, had confirmed earlier in the week that its leader would join the NDC after stakeholders from all 44 local government areas in Kano State met and gave their approval.
The joint move by Obi and Kwankwaso, who ran separately in 2023 but later explored a joint opposition platform, signals a fresh attempt to consolidate Nigeria’s fractured opposition ahead of the presidential contest in 2027.
