Why Obi-Kwankwaso ticket won’t win 2027 presidency — Baba Yusuf

Policy strategist and Group CEO of Global Investment and Trade Company, Baba Yusuf has said a joint presidential ticket involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso may struggle to secure victory in the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking on Friday during an interview on Arise Television’s *Prime Time*, Yusuf argued that although both politicians could attract significant voter turnout, they may fail to meet the constitutional spread required to win a presidential election in Nigeria.

His comments come days after Obi and Kwankwaso reportedly left the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), citing internal divisions and ongoing court cases within the party.

Yusuf said the duo could benefit from the large number of eligible voters who did not participate in the 2023 election, but questioned whether their support would be evenly distributed across the country.

“They may be able to get numbers from the over 70 million voters who didn’t vote in 2023,” he said. “But the issue is whether those votes will have the required spread across the North and South to satisfy the constitutional requirement for winning the presidency.”

He also stressed the importance of coalition-building ahead of the election, saying negotiations among opposition figures would be necessary.

According to Yusuf, both Obi and Kwankwaso may need to engage with key political stakeholders, including Atiku Abubakar, to build a broader alliance capable of challenging for power in 2027.

“The ‘me first’ approach will not work,” Yusuf said, adding that power-sharing discussions and political consultations would likely shape opposition strategy ahead of the election.