2027: Kwankwaso Breaks Silence On Tinubu Alliance Rumours, Backs Peter Obi For NDC Ticket

Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has firmly denied allegations that he is secretly working for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election, insisting his political focus is now fully on the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.

Kwankwaso made the remarks during an interview on Global TV on Wednesday night, dismissing claims that he had aligned with Tinubu’s political interests despite his recent involvement in coalition talks with key opposition figures.

The former governor described the allegations as baseless and politically motivated, saying only “foolish people” would believe he was working behind the scenes for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

“I think only foolish people would believe that. We are not working for anybody. We are only working for Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC,” Kwankwaso said.

The former Minister of Defence admitted that he still maintains a cordial relationship with President Tinubu but stressed that friendship does not translate into political partnership.

“Bola Tinubu has been my senior brother and good friend up till now. But that doesn’t mean we shall pull all our political ideologies together with him. He is doing his own and I am doing my own,” he added.

Kwankwaso’s comments come days after Sanusi Bature, spokesperson to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, alleged that the former NNPP leader had quietly supported Tinubu during the 2023 election and was still attempting to maintain political ties with the president.

Bature also claimed Kwankwaso had recently sought a direct meeting with Tinubu, though the move reportedly failed to materialise. He further suggested that any political alliance between Kwankwaso and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would eventually collapse.

But Kwankwaso pushed back strongly against the narrative, revealing that his political camp had already resolved to support Obi after extensive consultations across the six geopolitical zones.

According to him, the NDC decided to zone its presidential ticket to the South, and after internal discussions, Obi emerged as the preferred candidate.

“When we joined the NDC, we invited all our leaders from the six geo-political zones and we sat down and looked at the situations. We then decided to come together and work as a family,” he explained.

“The party, in its own wisdom, decided to zone the presidential ticket to the South. We looked around across the zones and realised that Peter Obi is the best candidate. That was our assessment at that particular time.”

Kwankwaso also addressed questions about his political influence in Northern Nigeria and whether he could help Obi secure support in the North-West and North-East ahead of the 2027 polls.

Without directly boasting about his popularity, the former governor said the coalition still has enough time to sell its message to Nigerians and counter what he described as false narratives being spread by opponents.

“We are trying to convince the people, even those who are going about telling lies to take advantage of our differences in the country, which should be our strength,” he said.

“And I am happy to say that we are very lucky because from now till January 16, 2027, we have about eight months, which is enough time.”