Former Kano State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate’s running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has explained that his decision to partner with Peter Obi for the 2027 presidential election was motivated by national interest, equity, regional balance and the desire for political change.
Kwankwaso also claimed that former Kano governors Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdullahi Ganduje, alongside incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf, had lost their political influence in the state.
Speaking during the News Agency of Nigeria Personality Interview Series in Abuja on Sunday, Kwankwaso said his experience during the 2023 election gave him a better understanding of Obi and convinced him that they could work together in the interest of the country.
He explained that the proposed arrangement was also influenced by the need for the South to retain the presidency for another term after the completion of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure.
“People learn every day, and that is why experience is very important. In 2023, we attempted to work together and at that particular point, I knew little about Peter Obi.
“But over these last four years, I was able to learn a lot and realised that Peter is somebody that I could work together with,” he said.
According to Kwankwaso, the decision followed consultations with members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Obidient Movement.
He said the groups agreed that Nigeria needed a balanced political ticket capable of attracting support from both the North and South.
Kwankwaso also cited insecurity, declining agricultural productivity, poor infrastructure and worsening economic conditions as factors that influenced his decision to support the alliance.
He noted that farmers, particularly in Northern Nigeria, were facing increasing difficulties as agricultural activities became less profitable.
The former defence minister also criticised the deteriorating state of infrastructure across the country, although he acknowledged improvements in some places, including Lagos.
He said the prevailing situation required the type of democratic change Nigerians sought in 2015, arguing that the need for such change was now even more urgent.
Kwankwaso described the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as one that would provide regional balance, competence and credibility.
“Nobody, no ticket can beat our own in terms of credibility, in terms of capacity and of course, in terms of love for the country; even in terms of empathy for the poor that are suffering across the country today,” he said.
‘I have never been vice president’
Kwankwaso also dismissed the suggestion that accepting the vice-presidential position represented a political setback for him, despite his experience as deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, governor, minister and senator.
“I have never been the vice president. I think it is a step forward despite all the things you counted,” he said.
He maintained that his decision was driven by national interest rather than personal ambition, stressing that political office should primarily be regarded as an opportunity to serve.
“To me, being in government is to serve. I don’t have to be president. I don’t have to even be vice president. These are things that are in the hands of Almighty Allah.
“But the fact remains that the situation, as it is today, one has to look at it beyond your humble self,” he said.
He explained that the agreement with Obi was for the South to produce the president for one term, after which the presidency would return to the North.
Kwankwaso referenced historical examples of political leaders who accepted positions below what they could have attained, including Sir Ahmadu Bello, who remained Premier of Northern Nigeria rather than becoming Prime Minister.
He argued that political leaders should be willing to serve at any level, whether as councillors, local government chairmen, legislators, governors, ministers, vice presidents or presidents.
Kwankwaso confident in Obi partnership
Kwankwaso rejected claims that his engagements with the All Progressives Congress or other political parties had always been tied to securing the presidential or vice-presidential ticket.
He said his discussions with President Bola Tinubu after the 2023 election were centred on working together rather than abandoning the NNPP or negotiating for a particular position.
The former governor recalled his contribution to the APC’s electoral victory, particularly through the votes recorded in Kano in 2015, but said he later became disappointed with the party’s leadership.
He added that his confidence in the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance was strengthened by what he described as Obi’s commitment to fairness, justice and national unity.
Kwankwaso also expressed confidence that Obi would honour their agreement and treat him as a partner rather than a “spare tyre.”
He said his experience as deputy speaker, minister and governor had taught him the importance of allowing deputies to play meaningful roles in government.
“Power will be shared according to the needs of the country. We should not be in a hurry to go and take anybody on the streets or anybody we remember.
“We will make sure that we have competent people because from our experience, the president and vice president cannot do it alone,” he said.
Kwankwaso attacks Ganduje, Yusuf
Speaking about his former political associates in Kano, Kwankwaso described political success built through “treachery” as unsustainable.
“You cannot succeed with treachery. I have not seen one. Now we have taken about two and a half decades.
“If I ask you, I’m sure you don’t know; he is going into political oblivion. He is nowhere,” he said.
He specifically referred to Ganduje, who served as his deputy for eight years before succeeding him as governor in 2015.
According to Kwankwaso, Ganduje would have maintained greater political relevance had he remained within the political structure they built together.
“If you can even see the issue of Ganduje, who we came together and supported, and became governor free of charge. The day when he started fighting was the beginning of his problem. If I may ask: where is he now? It is difficult to see him,” he said.
Kwankwaso also criticised Governor Abba Yusuf, accusing him of distancing himself from the political structure that helped bring him to power.
He recalled how members of his political group worked to secure Yusuf’s emergence as the NNPP candidate in the 2019 governorship election.
“Abba Yusuf: we went down, right down, to make sure that we picked the right person who would not go and repeat what Ganduje had done.
“Members of my political group worked day and night to field Yusuf in the 2019 governorship election, which Yusuf won before the result was overturned through litigation,” he stated.
Kwankwaso said the same political structure returned in 2023 and successfully secured Yusuf’s election as governor.
However, he claimed that Yusuf had since moved away from the political camp that supported his emergence.
“He left us, but he is not with Ganduje now. He is in between because I don’t think he is happy for anybody to call him Dan Gandujiyya,” he said.
He further alleged that Yusuf was attempting to replace him as the dominant political force in Kano despite his continued influence in the state.
“People have no patience, and that is why they are making those mistakes. It is just a matter of patience,” he said.
Tinubu’s reconciliation request
Kwankwaso also recalled a conversation with President Bola Tinubu, during which he said the President asked him to reconcile with Ganduje.
According to him, he responded by pointing to the experiences of several politicians who were once close to Tinubu but later lost their prominence within his political circle.
He cited former Lagos State Deputy Governor Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as examples.
“I told him that when I come here, I don’t see Bucknor. When I come here, I don’t see Ambode. I started counting the people,” he said.
Kwankwaso said his political experience had taught him that relationships within politics could be temporary, with former allies sometimes becoming distant despite previously working closely together.
He, however, identified former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, as one of the political associates he still considers a friend.
“It’s not very peculiar to Kano, but I think the Kano experience is special out of the general lots,” Kwankwaso said.