The 2027 vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has tackled 31 Nigerian governors for backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid instead of working in their states. Mr Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, spoke on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday night. PREMIUM TIMES reports that at least 31 governors have publicly endorsed the 2027 re-election bid of Mr Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Some of the governors – such as Osun State’s Ademola Adeleke and Anambra’s Charles Soludo – are not members of the APC. Speaking on the Channels TV show, Mr Kwankwaso argued that both the governors and Mr Tinubu were teaming up ahead of the 2027 general elections because they lacked confidence in winning re-elections on their own.
“I think a lot of mistakes were being made by the governors to the extent that they themselves believe that they are not competent enough to win elections on their own. “Therefore, they had to lean towards the president. And I believe the president also believes that he can’t do it himself. He has to lean towards the governors,” he said.
Mr Kwankwaso boasted that the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is very popular in Southern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections. He also argued that the NDC had gained a strong presence in northern Nigeria and that the party now has a “formidable team” given that many Nigerians seeking to solve the country’s problems are with the party.
The former governor believes the NDC’s popularity has become a concern for the governors backing Mr Tinubu’s re-election bid. “I believe that there is no governor who is not concerned about the popularity of our candidate, the ticket itself, and of course our party.