Former Kano State Governor and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has denied allegations that he is working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections. The Labour Party (LP) also dismissed concerns that the exit of Peter Obi would weaken the party's chances ahead of the polls.
Kwankwaso, who leads the Kwankwasiyya Movement and was the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election, issued a statement through the movement on Wednesday. He acknowledged maintaining a cordial relationship with Tinubu over the years but stressed that this should not be misinterpreted as political support.
Movement Issues Denial
The Kwankwasiyya Movement issued an outright disclaimer in response to comments made by Sanusi Bature, spokesperson to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, during a live television program. Bature had claimed that Kwankwaso was indirectly supporting Tinubu's second-term ambition. The movement described the allegation as false, stating that only "foolish people" would believe such claims.
"I think only foolish people would believe that. We are not working for anybody. We are only working for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)," Kwankwaso said. He added, "Tinubu has been my senior brother and good friend up till now. But that does not mean we shall pull all our political ideologies together with him. He is doing his own, and I am doing my own."
Criticism of Federal Government
The former Minister of Defence also criticized the Federal Government, alleging that those around the President might be preventing him from fully understanding the realities in the country. "Normally, under the present circumstances, the President may not see what is happening. Unfortunately, most of the people around him are actually the ones creating the problems. So, in those circumstances, it is difficult to see who will advise him or tell him the obvious situation," he said.
NDC Coalition and Peter Obi
Kwankwaso confirmed that political consultations were ongoing within the NDC, adding that the coalition had agreed to support Peter Obi as its preferred southern presidential candidate. "When we joined the NDC, we invited all our leaders from the six geopolitical zones, and we sat down and looked at the situations. We then decided to come together and work as a family. The party, in its own wisdom, decided to zone the presidential ticket to the south. We looked over the zones and realized that Obi is the best candidate. That was our assessment at that particular time," he explained.
Speaking on the coalition's preparations for the 2027 election, Kwankwaso expressed confidence that there was still enough time to mobilize Nigerians nationwide.
Labour Party Remains Strong
The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, gave assurances during the screening of aspirants at the party's national headquarters in Abuja ahead of the 2027 polls. Responding to questions on whether Obi's departure would affect the party's strength, Usman said the growing number of aspirants seeking to contest on the LP platform showed that the party remained formidable.
"Judging from the number of people who indicated interest in using the party as a platform to contest the election, I think the party is still strong. I am happy that the screening process is pretty much a very wonderful exercise. I am also impressed with the turnout of aspirants," she said. On the number of presidential aspirants and the possibility of adopting consensus for the primaries, Usman reiterated that the party had zoned its presidential ticket to the South. She also announced that the leadership might decide its 2027 flag bearer through consensus at the primary.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (LP, Abia South) declared that the party was positioned to sweep all elective offices in Abia during the 2027 elections. Abaribe said the party-controlled state had demonstrated capacity through people-oriented projects executed by the administration of Governor Alex Otti.
