The long-running feud between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, has contributed significantly to the fragmentation of the African Democratic Congress-led opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general election.

Sources within the ADC and the Kwankwasiyya Movement disclosed that the crisis began to deepen after Obasanjo allegedly failed to prevent Atiku from emerging as the ADC presidential candidate.

A principal officer of the ADC claimed that Obasanjo had contacted some party leaders and instructed them not to allow Atiku to secure the presidential ticket if they wanted his support.

According to the source, Peter Obi had not initially planned to leave the ADC. However, following the development, supporters of the former Anambra State governor began pushing the “Obi or nobody” position, creating tensions within the coalition.

The source said Obasanjo and Obi subsequently interpreted the Ibadan Opposition Coalition Summit as an indication that the ADC was preparing an Atiku-Makinde presidential ticket, prompting preparations for their exit.

When Obi’s planned departure became apparent, ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and other party leaders reportedly met Obasanjo in late April in an attempt to persuade him to intervene and stop Obi from leaving.

Another ADC leader claimed that Obasanjo insisted that Obi could remain in the party only if the coalition guaranteed that Atiku would not emerge as its presidential candidate.

“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.

In a statement on X, Obi said his decision followed “deep reflection” on the state of the nation and his desire to reposition himself to contribute more effectively to national development.

A loyalist of Aregbesola confirmed that the ADC secretary made efforts to prevent Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso from leaving the party. The loyalist, however, said he could not confirm whether Obasanjo directly instructed Obi to quit the ADC.

A chieftain of the Kwankwasiyya Movement also alleged that Obasanjo played a decisive role in Obi’s departure, describing the former president as Obi’s “compass.”

The chieftain claimed that Obasanjo had initially backed an Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement and that both politicians had a joint ticket committee working on the strategy.

He said that when it became clear that Atiku could not be removed from contention for the ADC ticket, Obi and Kwankwaso’s allies reported the development to Obasanjo, after which the two politicians decided to leave the coalition.

The Kwankwasiyya source further alleged that neither Obi nor Kwankwaso was prepared to go against Obasanjo’s wishes and argued that the former president’s longstanding resentment towards Atiku had continued to affect the former vice-president’s political ambitions.

The source, however, defended Obasanjo’s role in the opposition coalition, noting that he had also been instrumental in bringing several prominent politicians into the ADC.

He said Obasanjo had personally persuaded at least one former governor who was initially unwilling to accept any role in the party to join the coalition.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also alleged that Obasanjo influenced Obi’s decision to leave the ADC.

Abdullahi said Obasanjo’s longstanding opposition to Atiku was a major factor behind his alleged efforts to prevent the former vice-president from securing the ADC ticket.

He claimed that Obasanjo had spoken to several opposition leaders and urged them to do everything possible to stop Atiku from emerging as the ADC presidential candidate.

According to Abdullahi, when it became clear that Obi could not secure the ticket, he left the ADC at Obasanjo’s instance.

The ADC spokesperson, however, said he was unaware of any delegation sent to Obasanjo to persuade him to accept an Atiku-Obi ticket.

He acknowledged that Obasanjo’s opposition to Atiku had affected coalition-building efforts and weakened the opposition’s prospects, but maintained that the coalition could still defeat the All Progressives Congress in 2027.

He argued that Nigerians were dissatisfied with the administration of President Bola Tinubu and that this remained the foundation of the opposition’s confidence.

Meanwhile, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, said he was unaware of any directive from Obasanjo asking Obi to leave the ADC.

Tanko said Obi had maintained from the outset that he intended to contest the 2027 presidential election.

He explained that the decision to leave the ADC was influenced by concerns over ongoing court cases involving the party, which could potentially prevent Obi from contesting the election.

Tanko said Obi’s supporters were therefore satisfied with his emergence as the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress.

He also said he was unaware of any agreement to make Obi Atiku’s running mate, insisting that Obi had consistently declared his intention to contest for the presidency.

Tanko described the relationship between Obasanjo, Obi and Atiku as cordial, adding that Obi was focused on issues affecting Nigerians rather than politics of bitterness.

Efforts to obtain Obasanjo’s response were unsuccessful. His Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, declined to comment, while subsequent calls and messages were not answered.

Obasanjo, Atiku feud

The dispute between Obasanjo and Atiku dates back to their administration between 1999 and 2007.

Atiku left the Peoples Democratic Party for the Action Congress in 2006 after it became apparent that Obasanjo would not support his presidential ambition.

In December 2014, Obasanjo published My Watch, a book that was highly critical of Atiku. He accused his former deputy of disloyalty and poor judgment, questioned his integrity and transparency, and alleged that he had a propensity for corruption and excessive reliance on money and political influence.

Last Friday, Obasanjo described his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in the 1999 presidential election as the biggest mistake of his presidency.

Atiku subsequently hit back, claiming that he had helped Obasanjo at a time when the former military ruler had little and played a major role in ensuring his emergence as president in 1999.

The former vice-president also maintained that Obasanjo’s persistent attacks against him were largely a consequence of his refusal to support the former president’s controversial third-term bid.

Atiku insisted that despite Obasanjo’s opposition, he remained confident that he could win the 2027 presidential election.