Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar visited ex-Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso at his residence on Wednesday. The visit, confirmed in a Facebook statement by Atiku, marked their first official meeting since Kwankwaso left the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Atiku described Kwankwaso as his "brother and partner" and said their discussions centred on the ADC's progress and the need to achieve good governance and national recovery. "We had quality discussions on the progress of our party, the ADC, and how we must continue the work to ensure good governance and recovery are achieved in good time for the people," Atiku stated.
The ADC accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning a staged protest in Abuja on Thursday, 2nd April. The party claimed the protest, under the banner "David Mark Must Go," would feature a paid crowd pretending to be disgruntled ADC members. Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC National Publicity Secretary, alleged a serving Minister is orchestrating the move to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into taking unlawful actions against the party. He urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene if the Minister is acting without presidential direction.
Atiku's visit to Kwankwaso signals a high-stakes alliance built around political survival, not policy. With Kwankwaso's defection still fresh, the ADC's claim of an APC plot feels less like exposure and more like pre-emptive theatre. If a serving Minister is truly bankrolling opposition dissent, it confirms that party stability now depends more on state patronage than grassroots strength. For Nigerian voters, this episode offers another glimpse into how deeply manipulation is embedded in the opposition's playbook.
