The Labour Party, on Sunday, expressed approval for the offer made by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, to serve as Peter Obi’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso recently conveyed his “willingness to serve as running mate” to Obi, barely two years after previous negotiations between the two parties fell through.
It had been reported that the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) were considering a merger before the 2023 general elections, but “the inability of either Obi or Kwankwaso to concede the leadership collapsed the heightened move.”
In a video shared on his official account, Kwankwaso stated, “I’m bigger than Peter Obi politically; I’m his elder brother, I’m a PhD holder, I performed better than him when I was the governor of my state. I’ve no problem with deputising for Peter Obi, but only if certain conditions are met.”
He further added, “We are willing to engage in discussions, provided that trust is established.”
During the 2023 elections, Obi secured approximately 6,101,533 votes, finishing third, while Kwankwaso garnered 1,496,687 votes, landing in fourth place.
Kwankwaso has been notably critical of the Bola Tinubu-led government, especially its economic policies, which he claims have worsened conditions for Nigerians.
In response, Labour Party National Secretary Umar Farouk described Kwankwaso’s willingness to resume talks as “a welcome development.”
Farouk also urged Kwankwaso to refrain from asserting political superiority, saying, “As a political party, we stand for good governance and we have equally given all our candidates, both former and serving ones, the opportunity to choose how to associate with people of like-minds who share the philosophy and ideology of the Labour Party.”
He added, “We are happy Kwankwaso has alighted from the high horse he was riding and willing to offer himself to Obi as deputy having seen he garnered more than six million votes at the 2023 election. With his so-called popularity in the North, Kwankwaso could only amass less than two million votes.”
He further stated, “Again, he should stop this talk of being a bigger politician and PhD holder. What did he even do as a minister of defence?”
Farouk explained that the political landscape in 2027 would differ from 2023, and it would benefit Nigerians if Obi and Kwankwaso combined efforts “to wrest power from the APC government.” However, he acknowledged that the “sitting government will not go to sleep and allow the renewed move to work.”
Meanwhile, despite ongoing criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s policies, Alhaji Ado Garba (Tati), a legislative aide to the Deputy President of the Senate, remains confident that Tinubu will secure a “landslide victory” in the 2027 election.
Tati believes the “goodwill of the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin,” would play a key role in securing votes for Tinubu, particularly in Kano State.
He credited Barau’s efforts, which include “women and youths empowerment programmes, scholarship schemes, desilting of dams, provision of federal and feeder roads, and irrigation schemes” in the Kano North Senatorial District, as well as distributing “60 trucks to farmers” and establishing a transport service with over 1,000 buses.
Tati further highlighted that Barau’s “populist programmes” have increased membership for the APC in Kano, with numerous NNPP supporters defecting to the ruling party.
He concluded that Barau’s initiatives and Tinubu’s “realistic and patriotic reform policies” would prompt voters in Kano to support Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027.
