Kwankwaso and Obi
By Publisher
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Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the 2023 presidential election, has given an insight into what to expect in the 2027 presidential race, saying he would not mind running as deputy to Peter Obi.
Speaking in Hausa language in a video clip currently trending on X microblogging platform, Kwankwaso said he would be willing to deputise Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in last year’s election pending the fulfillment of certain conditions.
Kwankwaso, a former Senator and governor of Kano State, stated that he is politically bigger than Obi, also a former governor of Anambra State, adding, however, that he is willing to engage in meaningful discussions with the LP leader to reach an agreement ahead of the 2027 elections.
“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’ve no problem with deputizing Peter Obi, but only if certain conditions are met,” Kwankwaso said.
“We are willing to engage in discussions, provided that trust is established.”
When this issue first came up in 2023, the NNPP rejected the prospect of it’s flag bearer deputising Obi.
Dr Agbo Major, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, dismissed the idea then, saying: “NNPP has never at any time said its esteemed Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Engr. Dr. Rabiu Musa kwankwaso could accept to be Labour Party, Peter Obi’s deputy.
“The report is misleading and embarrassing to our great party, its Presidential Candidate, Kwankwaso and millions of supporters in Nigeria and in the diaspora, and urges journalists to crosscheck their reports before publishing them to avoid national disaffection ahead of the crucial 2023 general election.
“As a mass movement, NNPP acknowledged alliance talks with Labour Party that would consolidate and boost the nation’s frail democracy as we collectively strive for a new Nigeria which the party champions.“
However, Obi’s soaring profile may have caused Kwankwas’s change of mind.
Obi had come third in the 2023 election, polling 6,101,533 votes and winning the majority of votes in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, while Kwankwaso scored a total of 1,496,687 votes, and won in 38 of the 44 local government areas in his native Kano State.
