Obasanjo Is Principal Sponsor of Obi/Kwankwaso Ticket for 2027 – Osuntokun

Former Political Adviser to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Akin Osuntokun, has said former President Olusegun Obasanjo is the principal force behind the proposed Peter Obi/Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking during an interview with Arise TV, Osuntokun dismissed claims that Obasanjo’s recent letter to former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba was intended to benefit President Bola Tinubu politically.

According to him, such suggestions are illogical because Obasanjo has remained openly critical of the Tinubu administration.

“I don’t think it is correct to say what Obasanjo said in his letter to Osoba is an attempt to give advantage to Tinubu. Obasanjo is critical of Tinubu’s administration,” Osuntokun said.

He maintained that if Obasanjo is supporting any presidential ticket for 2027, it is the proposed alliance between Labour Party’s Peter Obi and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

“The only ticket Obasanjo is supporting is the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, which is conspicuously obvious,” he stated.

Osuntokun further claimed that Obasanjo personally initiated discussions between Obi and Kwankwaso and has been instrumental in encouraging the alliance.

“As a matter of fact, he is the principal sponsor. He was the one who put the two of them together,” he said.

He added that Obasanjo had previously urged the two politicians to work together and even reminded Kwankwaso that an earlier agreement could have produced a different political outcome.

According to Osuntokun, both Obi and Kwankwaso maintain close relationships with the former president, making the proposed alliance a viable political arrangement capable of significantly influencing the 2027 presidential election.

Responding to a follow-up question, Osuntokun reaffirmed his position, saying, “Yes, of course. He was the one who brokered the ticket between Obi and Kwankwaso. Both of them are quite close to him. That, of course, is a ticket that makes sense and has the potential to make a lot of impact in the 2027 election.”

Osuntokun also rejected longstanding allegations that the 2003 elections, in which several Alliance for Democracy (AD) governors lost their seats, were manipulated by the Obasanjo administration. He argued that the defeats could be explained by the political realities in each state rather than electoral rigging.

Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in a letter to former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba, said Osoba’s account of events in his memoir omitted key facts surrounding his emergence as president and Nigeria’s political transition.

Obasanjo explained that after his release from prison, he consulted leaders across the South-west, North, and South-east before joining the PDP and contesting the 1999 presidential election. He stressed that his politics has always been guided by dialogue, national unity, and inclusiveness, adding that his decision to form a broad-based government after winning the presidency was driven by national interest, not political weakness.

He also challenged narratives suggesting he betrayed Alliance for Democracy (AD) governors ahead of the 2003 elections, arguing that the circumstances surrounding those elections have been misunderstood.

Mr Obasanjo also defended the outcome of the 2003 elections, insisting the defeats suffered by most AD governors reflected political realities and campaign shortcomings rather than manipulation.