A former political adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Akin Osuntokun, has dismissed suggestions that the ex-president is working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting instead that Obasanjo is the main sponsor of the proposed Peter Obi–Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE News on Sunday, Osuntokun described the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance as far more realistic and compelling than the Labour Party ticket of 2023.
“Obi and Kwankwaso is a much more realistic, more compelling ticket than the 2023 one,” he said, adding that Kwankwaso’s political base would be “a big bonus” for the ticket.
Osuntokun firmly rejected claims that Obasanjo’s recent letter responding to former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba was designed to give political advantage to President Tinubu. He maintained that his former principal remains critical of the Tinubu administration and is actively supporting the Obi-Kwankwaso partnership.
“Look, Obasanjo is critical of Tinubu. If you can say that Obasanjo is supporting any ticket, it is Peter Obi and Kwankwaso. As a matter of fact, he is the main sponsor of that ticket,” Osuntokun stated.
According to him, the former president personally brokered the alliance between Obi and Kwankwaso.
“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. I can tell you that for free, that he was the one who brought the ticket together,” he added.
Osuntokun further revealed that Obasanjo had attempted to facilitate a similar arrangement ahead of the 2023 election, but it did not materialise. He recalled the former president telling Kwankwaso that had the earlier agreement been accepted, both men would have shared power, with Kwankwaso ultimately benefiting.
Addressing theories linking Obasanjo to Tinubu’s political interests simply because the President once visited him, Osuntokun asked: “How do you reconcile Obasanjo being the major sponsor of the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket with the theory that he is working for Tinuabu because Tinubu visited him?”
While acknowledging the advantages of incumbency that Tinubu would enjoy in 2027, Osuntokun maintained that an Obi-led ticket enjoys stronger appeal in the popular imagination than one led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The remarks come amid ongoing debate over Obasanjo’s political positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections.