The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has confirmed that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, signed a written agreement committing Obi to serve only a four-year term if elected president in 2027.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television yesterday, Kwankwaso said he was confident Obi would honour the pact, which provides for power to return to the North after a four-year southern presidency. Asked if the pledge was binding, he said, “I personally believe him. Based on what I know about him, I don’t think he will change his mind” when the time comes, adding that they are “all gentlemen, and we have agreed to put it on paper.”
The former Minister of Defence disclosed that two separate agreements were signed, one by the party and another personally between him and Obi. “The agreement is that after four years, we will continue to work together as a party, as friends and brothers, so that after our four-year term, from 2027 to 2031, power returns to the North,” he explained.
Explaining why he accepted the vice-presidential slot despite previously seeking the presidency, Kwankwaso said the arrangement reflected the need for fairness and national balance, with the South producing the president for one more term before power shifts back North. He also dismissed concerns that legal issues over the NDC’s registration could keep the party off the ballot, saying, “I don’t think any prospective judge would be in a hurry to say NDC should not participate in the 2027 election.”
The former Kano State governor defended religious balancing in the country’s politics, insisting that a balanced ticket fosters a sense of belonging. He recalled selecting a Christian cleric as his running mate in the 2023 election to ensure inclusiveness, and expressed surprise that President Bola Tinubu had again opted for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Asked whether the same-faith ticket would remain an issue in 2027, he replied, “It has to be.”
“I am even surprised that the President again is presenting the same type of ticket, and I know him; he is always somebody who likes to balance things. If you look at Lagos, he has always balanced it; even in his home, the ticket is balanced. I don’t know why the ticket in Nigeria is not balanced. But he still has time from now till the time of substitution to have a balanced ticket,” he said.
Ahead of the 2023 poll, Tinubu, a Muslim, picked former Borno State governor Kashim Shettima, also a Muslim, as his running mate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a decision that sparked debate in a country with almost equal numbers of Muslims and Christians. The controversy has persisted, particularly after the President announced he would retain Shettima for 2027.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, said through his aide Phrank Shaibu that Nigeria’s hardship stemmed from policies that rewarded consumption over production, arguing the country cannot borrow, import and tax its way to prosperity. Separately, presidential aide Daniel Bwala accused Obi of building a “political extremist” movement, declaring, “Obi is inconsequential. Peter Obi is not a match to Asiwaju.”
Source: The Guardian.
Comments 0