Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has dismissed claims that he is secretly working to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Global TV on Wednesday night, Kwankwaso described the allegation as baseless, insisting that his political camp was focused on building the Nigeria Democratic Congress and not backing Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The former Kano governor was reacting to comments made by Sanusi Bature, spokesperson to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who claimed during an appearance on Arise News that Kwankwaso was indirectly working for Tinubu.
Rejecting the allegation, Kwankwaso said only “foolish people” would believe he was working for another political camp.
“We are not working for anybody. We are only working for NDC,” he said.
Kwankwaso, however, acknowledged that he shares a longstanding personal relationship with Tinubu, describing the president as a senior brother and friend. He added that friendship should not be mistaken for political alignment.
“Bola Tinubu has been my senior brother and good friend up till now. But that doesn’t mean we will merge our political ideologies with his. He is doing his own, and I am doing my own,” he said.
The former Defence Minister also took a swipe at the current administration, suggesting that Tinubu may not fully understand the realities Nigerians are facing because of the people surrounding him.
According to him, many of the president’s advisers are contributing to the country’s problems instead of offering honest guidance.
Kwankwaso claimed that the ruling All Progressives Congress was more focused on attracting governors into its fold than addressing the country’s pressing challenges.
Speaking on ongoing coalition talks, Kwankwaso said leaders within the NDC had agreed to support Peter Obi as their preferred southern presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
He said party leaders from the six geopolitical zones met and agreed that the presidency should return to the South, adding that Obi emerged as the strongest option after consultations.
Kwankwaso expressed confidence that the coalition still had enough time to mobilise support nationwide before the next general election.
