Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has explained why he wants former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race in favour of NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Kwankwaso said his appeal was based on their longstanding political relationship and the need for a new political arrangement ahead of the 2027 general election.
He spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, confirming that he wanted Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, to step aside.
“Well, yes,” Kwankwaso said when asked whether he was insisting that Atiku should abandon his presidential ambition.
The former Kano State governor disclosed that he recently used a courtesy visit by a group of Fulani people from different parts of the country to encourage them to speak with Atiku about stepping down.
“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 said.
Kwankwaso stressed that his position was not driven by personal hostility towards Atiku, whom he said he had known and worked with for decades.
“His Excellency Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is somebody that I know fairly well. We have done so much together in the past. In fact, more than anybody who is around him today,” he said.
Kwankwaso recounts political ties with Atiku
Kwankwaso traced their political relationship to 1993, when both men were involved in the political movement led by the late General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.
He recalled that the group backed Atiku as its preferred presidential candidate under the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“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,” he said.
According to Kwankwaso, the group also tried to secure the vice-presidential ticket after its presidential bid failed, but the effort failed.
Their political relationship continued into the 1999 transition to civilian rule, when Olusegun Obasanjo emerged as the presidential candidate.
Kwankwaso said he was Kano governor-elect at the time and maintained close contact with Atiku, who became Obasanjo’s running mate and later vice-president.
He also recalled Atiku’s political involvement in 2003 and said Kano voters gave the former vice-president substantial support during the 2007 presidential election.
“In 2007, almost 90% of our votes from Kano were given to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” Kwankwaso said.
However, he noted that they did not always belong to the same political party. Atiku was in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2007, while Kwankwaso said he was not a member of the party.
Kwankwaso further recalled that they worked together in 2011 and were both presidential aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 election, which Muhammadu Buhari won.
“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,” he said.
Reiterating his position, Kwankwaso said his appeal for Atiku to step aside should not be interpreted as opposition to the former vice-president personally.
“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.
