Vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has explained that his decision to serve as Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2027 presidential election was driven by national interest, equity, regional balance and the need for democratic change.
Kwankwaso stated this during the News Agency of Nigeria Personality Interview Series in Abuja on Sunday.
The former Kano State governor 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 Nigeria.
According to him, consultations with members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Obidient Movement also influenced the decision. He said the groups agreed that the country needed a balanced ticket capable of attracting support from both the North and South.
Kwankwaso said the arrangement was also based on the understanding that the South would retain the presidency for one term after the completion of the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, after which power would return to the North.
“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.
He cited insecurity, declining agricultural productivity, economic hardship and deteriorating infrastructure as some of the challenges that strengthened his resolve to support the alliance.
Kwankwaso noted that farmers, particularly in Northern Nigeria, had been badly affected by insecurity and worsening economic conditions, making agricultural production increasingly difficult and unprofitable.
He also criticised the state of infrastructure across the country, with the exception of some areas such as Lagos, saying the situation reinforced the need for political change.
The former Defence Minister said the country now needed the type of democratic change Nigerians sought in 2015, adding that the demand for such change had become even more urgent.
He described the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a combination of 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 rejected the suggestion that accepting the vice-presidential slot represented a political setback, 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 stressed that his decision was not driven by personal ambition, insisting that public office should be viewed primarily 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.
Kwankwaso cited Sir Ahmadu Bello as an example of a political leader who accepted a position he considered appropriate for the broader national interest, noting that Bello chose to remain Premier of Northern Nigeria rather than become Prime Minister.
He said political leaders should be willing to serve at any level, whether as councillors, local government chairmen, legislators, governors, ministers, vice-presidents or presidents.
Kwankwaso also dismissed claims that his political engagements with the All Progressives Congress or other political parties were dependent on securing the presidential or vice-presidential ticket.
He said his discussions with President Bola Tinubu after the 2023 election centred on working together and were not based on demands for a particular political position.
The former governor recalled his role in the APC’s electoral victory, particularly the votes recorded in Kano in 2015, but said he later became disappointed with the party’s leadership.
He said his confidence in the alliance with Obi had grown because of what he described as Obi’s commitment to fairness, justice and national unity.
Kwankwaso added that the one-term power-sharing understanding was important because it would assure his supporters in the North that the region would not be disadvantaged by the arrangement.
