Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has urged the people of Kano to view his potential vice-presidential ticket under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as a “one-way ticket” for the state to secure the presidency in the near future.
Speaking late Sunday during a media tour across various radio stations in Kano, Mr Kwankwaso addressed ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a video produced by Premier Radio, Mr Kwankwaso also launched a scathing attack on Governor Abba Yusuf over his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Kwankwaso urged the electorate to rally behind the NDC, stating that a vote for the party is directly a vote for him and the collective interest of Kano, particularly if he emerges as the running mate to Peter Obi.
He described the 2027 polls as a watershed in Nigerian political history.
“We are about to witness a historic election, the likes of which have never been seen before in the history of Kano and Nigeria,” Mr Kwankwaso stated.
“Particularly, if I emerge as the vice-presidential candidate and my name is on the ballot papers, whoever votes for the NDC is not just voting for someone else (Peter Obi); they are voting for Rabiu Kwankwaso.
“This is imperative for the people of Kano because, since the inception of the First Republic to date, no Kano indigene has ever emerged as a vice-presidential candidate, despite our massive population and deep political experience.
“We are going to correct this historical anomaly if we secure the ticket. A vice-presidential ticket for Kano is a one-way route to producing a president from Kano. We will leverage that opportunity to ensure our people benefit. We are calling on our supporters in Kano, across the North-west, and throughout the country to do the needful: register and vote”, Mr Kwankwaso said.
The Kwankwaso vs Governor Yusuf feud
In the Radio interview, Mr Kwankwaso described the governor’s defection to the APC as “the worst political betrayal in the world,” claiming that voters would hold the state government accountable in the upcoming elections.
Governor Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the APC in January. The governor moved with the majority of the party’s elected federal and state lawmakers, and all 44 local government chairmen in Kano.
Insiders noted that Governor Yusuf felt suffocated by Mr Kwankwaso’s overbearing influence, alleging that the former governor was acting as a “godfather” who dictated executive appointments, commissioners, and major state policies.
Supporters of Governor Yusuf claimed the move was necessary to free his administration from external control and ensure federal alignment for Kano’s development.
But for Mr Kwankwaso, Governor Yusuf’s defection was an unforgivable act of political treachery.
He said the governor effectively handed over the hard-earned 2023 opposition mandate of the Kwankwasiyya movement directly to their rivals, the APC (led nationally by President Bola Tinubu and locally by Kwankwaso’s arch-rival, Abdullahi Ganduje).
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Mr Kwankwaso later abandoned the NNPP for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), promoted as a coalition of the opposition.
However, he and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Obi, have joined forces under a new opposition platform, NDC.
To challenge the APC’s hold on power in 2027, Mr Kwankwaso stepped down his own presidential ambitions to back Mr Obi and accept the vice-presidential slot.
Mr Kwankwaso’s Sunday radio broadcasts are a strategic effort to convince his fiercely loyal Northern base that voting for a southern presidential candidate (Mr Obi) is a calculated step toward eventually taking the presidency to Kano.