2027: Why I Decided To Work With Peter Obi – Kwankwaso
Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has revealed why he decided to form an alliance with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Kwankwaso said the North is returning to the political approach adopted by Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu Bello during their time.
According to him, many political leaders in the country have failed to understand the mindset and aspirations of young Nigerians, especially in the era of social media.
He said younger Nigerians are more interested in competent leadership than issues of religion and ethnicity often emphasised by older politicians.
Kwankwaso noted that even within his household, younger family members expressed views that reflected the growing demand for political collaboration and better leadership ahead of the 2023 election.
The former governor added that many young Nigerians are united by a desire for credible leadership capable of addressing the country’s challenges.
Kwankwaso said: “So many things have changed in this country. You have leaders, many of whom don’t even realize what is happening on social media. We have leaders who hardly have any contact with young men and women. People of our age, my age, or especially the age of Atiku, are very few in this country compared to the younger people. The younger people have their own way of thinking, even our children.
“You will be surprised, even during the 2023 election, in my own house, my own daughter was telling me to go and work with Peter Obi. She didn’t say she was obedient, but she wanted me to work together with him, and vice versa.
“So you see, there is a lot happening in this country, but people at that level we are talking about don’t even understand.
“People are talking about religion. People are talking about ethnicity. People are talking, especially those at our level and age, but the younger people are looking for the right leadership for this country. And I think they are absolutely right.”
The former Kano State governor stated that the people of the South East are friends of the North, noting that the region wants to work together with them.
“From my experience as former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, I had the opportunity to work with my Speaker, and we worked very well.
“Now we’re going back to what Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu Bello did during their time, and in the Second Republic, what Shehu Shagari and others did with the leadership of the South East.
“But for me, it wasn’t just because we are going to the South East. No, I looked around together with our leadership in the North to ask who we think is capable, who can come and work honestly with us so that we can move this country forward.
“And along the line, we realized that Peter Obi is at the forefront of it, and that’s why we all accepted to work together,” he said.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
