Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A former governor of Kano State and chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has disclosed that his daughter advised him to form a political alliance with Peter Obi as far back as the 2023 general election – years before the two men eventually merged their political structures under the NDC.
The revelation came during a Monday interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme, where Kwankwaso used the anecdote to illustrate a widening generational rift between Nigeria’s ageing political elite and a younger electorate that prioritises competence over ethnicity or religion. “Even in the 2023 election, in my own house, my own daughter was telling me to go and work with Peter Obi,” Kwankwaso stated. “She didn’t say she was Obidient, but she wanted me to work together with him, and vice versa.” He explained that younger Nigerians are increasingly focused on credible leadership instead of the religious and ethnic considerations that still dominate the discourse of older politicians. “People of their age, my age, or especially the age of Atiku, are very few in this country comparatively with the younger people. The younger people have their own way of thinking – even our children,” he said, warning that established leaders who fail to grasp this shift risk losing touch with the electorate.
Against the backdrop of that long‑standing family nudge, Kwankwaso has now thrown his full weight behind the NDC’s plan to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South for a single four‑year term. Speaking after the party’s recent national convention in Abuja, he declared himself ready to serve as Peter Obi’s vice‑presidential candidate if the party so decides, effectively setting aside his own presidential ambition for a joint front. “We have already reached an understanding on the core issues,” Kwankwaso said. “My brother, Peter Obi, and I are committed to a joint front to confront the security challenges and economic instability that have pushed our country to the brink.”
The proposed arrangement is built on a strict internal power‑sharing agreement: the South will hold the presidency for a single four‑year term, after which the ticket would flip to the North in 2031 – a formula designed to satisfy both Southern and Northern interests while removing the incumbent APC administration.
Despite his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) alongside Obi, Kwankwaso was careful to keep the door open for further opposition unity. He dismissed suggestions that the defection had created a damaging split, insisting that cooperation with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar – who remains in the ADC – is still possible before the 2027 polls. “Now, we may still work together before the election,” Kwankwaso said. “I personally, and I think even Obi himself, decided to leave ADC not because we are fighting with Atiku or anybody there. We decided to leave that party because we realised that there are some issues.” He identified what he called “three major unresolved problems” within the ADC that, in his view, could make it difficult for the party to field candidates in 2027, though he declined to elaborate.
He also recalled working with Atiku in previous election cycles, including serving as his northern coordinator during the 2019 presidential election. “Politics is just like a game. I’m not fighting anybody and I’m not expecting anybody to fight me. I think we are past that level now,” Kwankwaso added, responding indirectly to Atiku’s recent claim that the former governor’s popularity is confined to Kano State. For political analysts, Kwankwaso’s daughter’s nudge and his subsequent shift underline a broader realignment of Nigeria’s opposition landscape – one that seeks to tap into the aspirations of a tech‑savvy, issue‑driven youth population that increasingly rejects the old formulas of ethnic and religious politics. Whether the emerging Obi‑Kwankwaso axis can successfully absorb other opposition currents, including elements of the ADC, will be a key test as the 2027 election cycle gathers pace.
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