2027: Kwankwaso defends North-South power balance

• …Says justice should guide leadership choice

By Musa Baba Adamu

ice presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has dismissed the notion that Nigeria’s presidency should always remain in the North, insisting that fairness and justice should determine the country’s leadership.

Speaking during an interview on News Central Television, monitored in Abuja, Kwankwaso said his decision to run as the running mate to the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, reflects his belief in equity and mutual respect between the North and the South.

According to the former Kano State governor, his acceptance of the vice-presidential slot under a Southern candidate demonstrates that many Northerners do not subscribe to the idea of perpetual Northern leadership.

“I don’t have to put it in words. By what I am doing now, being vice to somebody from the South, I don’t think that argument can stand on our side,” he said.

Kwankwaso maintained that the North has consistently embraced the principles of fairness, justice and mutual respect in its relationship with the South.

“We believe, North, I can tell you, believe in fairness; we believe in justice and we believe in mutual respect between the South and the North. And that has always been our position,” he added.

His remarks come as the NDC intensifies preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with Peter Obi leading the party’s presidential ticket and Kwankwaso as his running mate.

The position marks a shift from Kwankwaso’s stance ahead of the 2023 general election when he declined an offer to be Obi’s running mate, citing the prevailing political sentiment in the North that favoured retaining the presidency in the region after the completion of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s two-term tenure.