The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has explained the rationale behind picking former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
In an interview published by The Sun on Sunday, Obi said the decision was based on their shared commitment to tackling poverty through education and economic growth, stressing that both leaders hold similar views on national development.
He said Kwankwaso’s philosophy closely mirrors his own vision for building a better Nigeria.
“Kwankwaso has the philosophy of pulling people out of poverty.
“I have the same philosophy. Kwankwaso believes in education. You cannot change society without education.
“If you look at my X, formerly Twitter, I made it clear that I will emphasise education. Education is going to change society.
“Nigeria must be seen to form its innermost human capital, which we need to develop. Kwankwaso believes in this. I do. We have synergy,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor also dismissed claims of disagreement between himself and Kwankwaso, insisting both men remain focused on their common objective ahead of the January 2027 general election.
“I don’t know why people talk about differences between people who are working together. Have you ever seen us quarrelling?
“You see, people quarrel even in offices because of transactional governance. The country is in a mess because of transactional governance. I am not into transactional government. I am into transformational governance.
“We want to change the society and make it better. We want to pull people out of poverty, not the other way around,” he said.
Obi and Kwankwaso finished third and fourth respectively in the 2023 presidential election, behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
While Obi ran under the Labour Party, Kwankwaso contested on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The two politicians, alongside Atiku, had earlier formed a political alliance under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2026 before Obi and Kwankwaso later defected to the NDC, citing internal crises and legal disputes within the coalition.
While addressing questions over why a similar alliance failed to materialise before the 2023 election, Obi said his attention was fixed on the future rather than past political developments.
“Those who think about yesterday and today will miss tomorrow. The past is gone. We are talking about the present,” he said.
Speaking on concerns over harmonising supporters of the Obidient Movement and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Obi expressed confidence that both groups share the same aspiration for a better Nigeria.
“We do not just have large followers alone. People are gravitating to what is right. How are we going to manage them? We have no problem whatsoever. We want to change the society. Our followers want a changed and better society,” he added.
