Former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has dismissed allegations that he is secretly working for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election, describing the claims as baseless and misleading.
Speaking during an interview on Global TV on Wednesday night, Kwankwaso said reports linking him to Tinubu’s political agenda had circulated since his time in the New Nigeria People’s Party but insisted that he remained committed to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
“I think only foolish people would believe that. We are not working for anybody. We are only working for Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC,” Kwankwaso said.
The former Defence Minister acknowledged his long-standing personal relationship with Tinubu but stressed that friendship did not translate into political alignment.
“Bola Tinubu has been my senior brother and good friend up till now. But that doesn’t mean we shall pull all our political ideologies together with him. He is doing his own and I am doing my own,” he stated.
Kwankwaso’s remarks came in response to allegations made by Sanusi Bature, spokesperson to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, who claimed the former NNPP leader was indirectly supporting Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
Bature had alleged that Kwankwaso worked in Tinubu’s interest during the 2023 election and recently sought a direct meeting with the president, which reportedly did not happen.
During the interview, Kwankwaso also criticised the inner circle around Tinubu, claiming the president may not fully understand the extent of the country’s challenges because advisers were withholding realities from him.
“Normally, under the current circumstances, the president may not see what is happening. And unfortunately, most of the people around him are actually the ones creating the problems,” he said.
According to him, political actors surrounding the president were more focused on attracting governors into the ruling All Progressives Congress than addressing pressing national concerns.
Kwankwaso further addressed his recent political alliance with Peter Obi under the NDC coalition.
The two politicians joined the party on May 3 and have since been involved in discussions over a possible joint presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.
Explaining the decision to support Obi, Kwankwaso said party leaders from across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones agreed that the presidential ticket should go to the South and concluded that Obi was the strongest candidate from the region.
“When we joined the NDC, we invited all our leaders from the six geo-political zones and we sat down and looked at the situation. The party, in its own wisdom, decided to zone the presidential ticket to the South,” he explained.
“We looked around across the zones and realised that Peter Obi is the best candidate. That was our assessment at that particular time.”
Kwankwaso also expressed confidence that the coalition still had enough time to build nationwide support before the 2027 election, especially across northern Nigeria.
He said the alliance was focused on persuading Nigerians and countering misinformation aimed at exploiting ethnic and regional divisions.
“We are trying to convince the people, even those who are going about telling lies to take advantage of our differences in the country, which should be our strength,” he said.
Kwankwaso added that the coalition remained optimistic about its chances as preparations for the election continue.
