A spokesperson to the Abba Kabir Yusuf administration has claimed that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is strategically aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, while describing any alliance with Peter Obi as temporary and politically unconvincing.
Speaking on the future of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Kano government spokesperson Sanusi Bature said the party no longer has the strength to independently challenge for power in 2027.
“The NNPP is no longer a formidable platform for 2027,” Bature said, adding that key stakeholders within the party had agreed to explore political realignments ahead of the next general election.
According to him, Kwankwaso approved initial moves to open talks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the party’s preferred option.
“With Kwankwaso’s consent, we approached Tinubu and the APC as our Option A,” he said. “Kwankwaso insisted on speaking directly with President Tinubu before any possible defection.”
Bature, however, claimed the planned meeting between Kwankwaso and Tinubu never materialised after the former Kano governor reportedly cancelled the appointment, citing an official trip to China.
The comments also cast doubt on growing speculation around a possible Obi-Kwankwaso alliance ahead of 2027. Bature argued that a joint ticket involving Obi and Kwankwaso would struggle to gain acceptance, particularly in northern Nigeria.
“A Peter Obi-Kwankwaso ticket in Kano is strange,” he said. “Kwankwaso, a PhD holder, deputising Obi, who only holds a first degree, doesn’t look like the Kwankwaso we know.”
He added that he does not see the political partnership surviving in the long term, further fuelling uncertainty over opposition coalition talks aimed at challenging the APC in the next election cycle.
