The national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has openly admitted ongoing plans by some stakeholders to pair him with the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, as the latter’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
The former Kano State governor, who was also the NNPP presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, however, said that he was waiting to see the criteria to be used for such arrangement given his educational and political pedigrees over Obi.
In a viral video clip circulating on social media on Saturday, Kwankwaso, who was addressing a group of persons in Hausa language, asserted his superiority to Obi, also a former governor of Anambra State, stating, “I’m bigger than Peter Obi politically, I’m his elder brother, I’m a PhD holder, I performed better than him when I was a governor of my state.”
“I have no problem with deputising Peter Obi, but only if certain conditions are met,” he remarked, emphasising that any potential alliance must be built on trust.
“We are willing to engage in discussions, provided that trust is established,” he added, signaling that both he and Peter Obi are open to forming a political alliance with the Labour Party leadership in the lead-up to the 2027 elections.
LEADERSHIP recalls that Peter Obi, placed third in the last general elections with 6,101,533 votes, while Kwankwaso who had a strong showing in his native Kano State, won in only 38 of the 44 local government areas of the State to garner 1,496,687 votes.
Kwankwaso has also been a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu administration, particularly regarding the distribution of rice palliatives in Kano State. He accused the federal government of bypassing the state government and handing control over to opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) loyalists in the State.
“For the last one week I have been in Kano, and sadly I noted with great disappointment the Federal Government distribution of rice palliative to 35 states all through their governors, except Kano State in the whole federation. Kano’s share was handed over to APC stalwarts to handle. This is a gross insult to our constitutional democracy and driving partisanship too far,” Kwankwaso had said in a post on X.
He further called on President Tinubu to intervene, saying, “I call on Mr. President to immediately halt this naked derailment of democracy.”
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