The Labour Party (LP) has welcomed the offer from Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, to be the running mate of Peter Obi, LP’s 2023 presidential flagbearer, in the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso expressed his willingness to serve as Obi’s deputy in a viral post, two years after previous talks between the two parties broke down. Before the 2023 election, the LP and NNPP had discussed forming a coalition, but the inability of either Obi or Kwankwaso to agree on the leadership position led to the collapse of the merger.
In a video on his official account, the former Kano State governor said in Hausa that he would be open to running as Obi’s deputy, provided certain conditions are met. Kwankwaso also emphasized his political stature, claiming, “I’m bigger than Peter Obi politically; I’m his elder brother. I’m a PhD holder, and I performed better as a governor. I have no problem being his deputy, but only if certain conditions are met.” He added that discussions could proceed, provided there is mutual trust.
In the 2023 election, Obi secured 6,101,533 votes, finishing third, while Kwankwaso received 1,496,687 votes, placing fourth.
Kwankwaso has been a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, particularly on economic policies that have caused hardship for Nigerians.
Reacting to the development, Labour Party National Secretary Umar Farouk welcomed Kwankwaso’s renewed interest but urged him to refrain from making claims about being a better politician or more educated.
Farouk said, “We are happy Kwankwaso has come down from his high horse and is willing to offer himself as Obi’s deputy, especially after seeing that Obi garnered more than six million votes in 2023, while Kwankwaso’s popularity in the North earned him less than two million votes.”
He added, “Kwankwaso should drop this talk of being a bigger politician or PhD holder. What did he even achieve as a Minister of Defence? Politicians must consider the dynamics of politics and understand the mood of the electorate at any given time.”
Farouk acknowledged that the 2027 election would be different from 2023 and expressed hope that an Obi-Kwankwaso partnership could help defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), though he warned that the sitting government would not allow such a merger to succeed without a fight.
‘Tinubu will emerge victorious in 2027’
Despite opposition criticism, Alhaji Ado Garba (Tati), a legislative aide to the Deputy President of the Senate, expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would win re-election in 2027. Speaking in Kano, Tati said Tinubu would secure a landslide victory, bolstered by the goodwill of Senator Barau Jibrin, the Deputy President of the Senate, whose empowerment programs and development projects have positively impacted Kano State.
Tati noted that Barau’s initiatives, including youth and women empowerment, scholarship schemes, road construction, and irrigation projects, have attracted more support for the APC in Kano, despite the state being controlled by the NNPP. He added that thousands of NNPP members have defected to the APC due to Barau’s work.
Tati predicted that President Tinubu’s reform policies and Barau’s popularity in Kano would result in massive votes for Tinubu in the 2027 election.
