Why I Want Atiku to Give Peter Obi the 2027 Ticket, Kwankwaso Reveals

Rabiu Kwankwaso has opened up on why he wants former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step aside for Peter Obi in the race for the 2027 presidency, pointing to their decades-long political relationship and the need for a new political direction.

Kwankwaso, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), made the disclosure on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

During the programme, the former Kano State governor recounted his political dealings with Atiku dating back to 1993 and explained why he believes the former vice-president should make way for Obi ahead of the next general election.

When asked directly whether he wanted Atiku to abandon his presidential ambition, Kwankwaso replied, “Well, yes.”

He said he recently seized an opportunity presented by a courtesy visit from a group of Fulani people drawn from across the country to urge them to speak with Atiku about withdrawing from the race.

“I had some people, coincidentally, a group of Fulanis from across the country who came for a courtesy visit to my house. And I thought it was an opportunity for me, really, to talk to them and ask them that they should create time before they go back to their towns and villages to talk to him,” he explained.

Kwankwaso emphasised that the appeal was not a reflection of hostility towards Atiku, describing him as someone with whom he had shared a long and significant political history.

“His Excellency Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is somebody that I know fairly well. And we have done so much together with him in the past. In fact, more than anybody who is around him today,” he said.

From Shehu Yar’Adua’s Movement to the 2015 APC Primaries

To underscore the depth of their relationship, Kwankwaso traced their political association to 1993, when they both belonged to the movement led by the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

He said Atiku was their preferred candidate for the SDP presidential ticket, adding that members of the group worked to secure the nomination for him.

“I remember in 1993, he was in our group under the leadership of General Shehu Musa Yar’adua and he was our choice for the presidential candidate of the SDP,” Kwankwaso recalled.

“We supported him. We did everything possible to make him our candidate of the SDP. And when it didn’t work out, of course, we tried also under General Shehu Musa Yar’adua to ensure that we got the ticket of the Vice-President.”

According to Kwankwaso, their political collaboration continued after the failed effort, extending into the 1999 transition that produced Olusegun Obasanjo as the presidential candidate.

He said he was Kano governor-elect when Obasanjo was chosen in Jos, where political activities had also taken place six years earlier.

“It didn’t work. And we thank Almighty God we are still alive in 1999. I was Governor-Elect of Kano when we elected His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo in Jos, the same Jos that we went in 1993,” he said.

Kwankwaso recalled that he was close to Atiku when the latter became Obasanjo’s running mate and subsequently served as vice-president.

“And at the end of the day, of course, Obasanjo won. And I know he played some roles because I was very close to him, I was Governor-Elect at that time and he was Vice-president, and we were very happy,” he added.

Kano Votes and Political Cooperation

The former Kano governor also highlighted Atiku’s role in the politics of 2003 and the support he received from Kano in the 2007 presidential election.

He claimed that almost 90 per cent of votes from Kano went to Atiku during the 2007 contest.

“And also, in 2003, he played a lot of roles. And I think that’s a very long story, maybe one of these days we will have an opportunity to discuss it. So also in 2007, almost 90% of our votes from Kano were given to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” Kwankwaso said.

He clarified that they belonged to different political parties at the time, noting that Atiku contested under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), while he was not a member of the party.

“In 2007, I think he was in the ACN. Of course, I was not in the ACN,” he said.

Their cooperation continued in 2011, Kwankwaso added, before both men became contenders for the APC presidential ticket ahead of the 2015 election.

He recalled that Buhari emerged as the leading aspirant, followed by himself and Atiku.

“And 2011, when we worked together. In 2015, I’m sure you know we were all aspirants in the APC. Buhari was number one, I was number two, he was number three. That’s 2015, so you can go on and on,” he stated.

‘We Are Not Against Him’

Kwankwaso concluded that his call for Atiku to step aside was not intended to undermine their longstanding relationship.

He said their political journey had involved years of cooperation, even as alliances and party affiliations changed over time.

“What I’m trying to say is that we are not against him. The two sides, we’ve worked together with him so everything has time,” he said.

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