By Rabiu Sanusi
The spokesperson to the Kano State Governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, has alleged that former Kano State Governor and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is indirectly working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Bature also described the reported political alliance between Peter Obi and Kwankwaso as weak and unsustainable, insisting that such a ticket would fail to attract meaningful support in Kano State.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Wednesday, Bature stated that the NNPP could no longer survive as a strong political platform ahead of the next election cycle.
According to him, consultations among key stakeholders within the Kwankwasiyya movement had already produced alternative political options, including a possible alignment with the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“The NNPP is no longer a formidable platform for 2027. There was an agreement among critical stakeholders, including Rabiu Kwankwaso, to find a lasting solution ahead of 2027 because the NNPP cannot fly on its own,” he said.
Bature further revealed that discussions had taken place with the APC leadership regarding a possible merger or political cooperation aimed at strengthening their chances ahead of the elections.
“With Kwankwaso’s consent, we approached Tinubu and the APC as our Option A to explore joining the party, so that the possibility of joining the Federal Executive Council can come into play,” he added.
The governor’s spokesperson also claimed that Kwankwaso had earlier requested a direct meeting with President Tinubu as part of the political consultations but later failed to honour the arrangement.
“Kwankwaso insisted on speaking to President Tinubu before any possible defection. However, after a date was set, he cancelled the appointment, saying he was going to China, and never rescheduled,” Bature stated.
Reacting to speculations surrounding a possible Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket for 2027, Bature dismissed the idea as politically unrealistic, particularly in Kano State.
“An Obi-Kwankwaso ticket in Kano is strange. Kwankwaso, a PhD holder, deputising Obi, who only holds a first degree, does not look like the Kwankwaso we know. I do not see this partnership working,” he said.
Bature maintained that political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections would continue to evolve as politicians and parties reposition themselves across the country.
He also alleged that a large percentage of Kwankwaso’s loyal supporters had already defected to the APC, leaving the former governor politically isolated.
“The balance is now that Kwankwaso is alone. He is now a lone politician with maybe 30 to 40 percent of his former followership after our defection. About 70 percent of Kwankwaso supporters have moved to the APC,” he said.
Bature further argued that an Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket would struggle to replicate the electoral success recorded by the NNPP in Kano during the 2023 elections.
“Kwankwaso alone, under the NNPP, secured over one million votes in Kano in 2023. But in 2027, with Obi as presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as vice presidential candidate, that ticket cannot secure one million votes in Kano,” he added.
