Former Kano State Governor and 2027 vice-presidential candidate, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said his decision to partner with Peter Obi in next year’s presidential election was driven by national interest, equity and the need for political change.
Kwankwaso, who will be Obi’s running mate on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, said he was persuaded to accept the position after reflecting on the country’s challenges and his experience working with different political groups.
He also dismissed the political relevance of former Kano State governors Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdullahi Ganduje, as well as incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf, saying their decisions to move away from his political structure had affected their standing in the state.
Kwankwaso spoke while featuring in the News Agency of Nigeria Personality Interview Series in Abuja on Sunday.
The former governor said his experience during the 2023 presidential election helped him understand Obi better and convinced him that both politicians could work together in the interest of Nigeria.
According to him, although he and Obi had attempted to work together in 2023, he knew little about the former Anambra State governor at the time.
“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.
Kwankwaso said consultations were held with members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Obidient Movement before the decision was reached.
He said the groups agreed that the country needed a ticket that would bring together supporters from the North and South and promote national balance.
The former defence minister said the security challenges facing the country, poor agricultural production, economic hardship and the poor state of infrastructure had strengthened his resolve to support a political arrangement that could bring about change.
He said farmers, particularly in Northern Nigeria, were struggling as insecurity and other economic difficulties made farming increasingly difficult and less profitable.
Kwankwaso also criticised the condition of infrastructure across the country, saying only a few places, including Lagos, had recorded significant improvements.
He said Nigeria needed the type of political change that Nigerians sought in 2015, adding that the need was now even greater.
According to him, the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket offers 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.
Kwankwaso also defended his decision to accept the vice-presidential position, despite having served as governor, senator, minister and deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He said accepting the position did not amount to a political setback, stressing that public office should be seen as an opportunity to serve rather than as a reward for personal ambition.
“I have never been the vice president. I think it is a step forward despite all the things you counted,” he said.
The former governor added that he was not desperate to become president or vice-president, saying the ultimate decision on political positions was in the hands of God.
“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.
Kwankwaso explained that the agreement with Obi was for the South to produce the president for one term before power would return to the North.
He said the arrangement was necessary to promote fairness and reassure his supporters that the North would not be permanently excluded from the presidency.
He also referred to the example of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, who, according to him, accepted to remain Premier rather than become Prime Minister.
Kwankwaso said political leaders should be ready to serve wherever they were needed, whether as councillors, local government chairmen, legislators, governors, ministers, vice-presidents or presidents.
He said he was confident that Obi would respect the proposed power-sharing arrangement and would not treat the vice-president as a “spare tyre.”
According to him, his experience in government had taught him the importance of allowing deputies to play meaningful roles.
He said a president or governor who gives a deputy responsibilities strengthens the government because the success of the deputy also benefits the principal.
Kwankwaso also rejected claims that his political discussions with President Bola Tinubu after the 2023 election were based on his desire to secure either the presidential or vice-presidential ticket.
He said his discussions with Tinubu were about working together and did not mean he was prepared to abandon the NNPP.
The former governor recalled his role in the APC’s victory in 2015, particularly the strong support the party received in Kano. However, he said he later became disappointed with the leadership of the party.
Turning to Kano politics, Kwankwaso said political leaders who betrayed their political allies often lost their influence.
He specifically criticised Ganduje, who served as his deputy governor for eight years before succeeding him as governor in 2015.
Kwankwaso said Ganduje’s political fortunes would have been better if he had remained committed to the political structure they built together.
“You cannot succeed with treachery. I have not seen one. Now we have taken about two and a half decades,” he said.
He added, “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.”
Kwankwaso also criticised Governor Abba Yusuf, accusing him of distancing himself from the political structure that helped him become governor.
He recalled that members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement worked hard to make Yusuf the party’s candidate in the 2019 governorship election.
Yusuf won that election, but the result was later overturned through litigation.
According to Kwankwaso, the political structure again supported Yusuf in 2023 and helped him secure victory despite efforts to defeat the party.
He alleged that Yusuf had since moved away from the group that brought him to power.
“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,” he said.
Kwankwaso said Yusuf was not comfortable being identified as “Dan Gandujiyya,” but had nevertheless allowed himself to be associated with Ganduje.
He further alleged that the governor was attempting to replace him as the dominant political figure in Kano.
Kwankwaso said the struggle for political influence was not unique to Kano but was common in Nigerian politics, where political alliances often change with time.
He recalled a conversation with Tinubu in which the President reportedly asked him to reconcile with Ganduje.
Kwankwaso said he responded by reminding Tinubu that several politicians who had once been close to him had also lost their influence.
He mentioned former Lagos State Deputy Governor Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as examples.
However, he singled out former Osun State Governor Bisi Akande as one of the political associates he still regarded as a friend.
Kwankwaso said political relationships could change, but leaders should learn from their experiences and remain focused on service.
With the 2027 election approaching, the proposed Obi-Kwankwaso alliance is expected to attract attention because of the political influence both men command in the South-East and parts of the North.
The alliance also comes against the background of growing opposition efforts to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso said the partnership was not about personal ambition but about responding to the difficulties facing Nigerians.
He maintained that the country needed competent leaders capable of addressing insecurity, economic hardship, poor agricultural output and infrastructure challenges.
He said the proposed ticket would give Nigerians an alternative and provide what he described as a credible path to democratic change.