By Musa Baba Adamu
A former Minister of Aviation and Nigerian ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, has cautioned former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, against trusting the reported single-term arrangement involving former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, under the platform of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, (NDC).
Fani-Kayode’s reaction followed reports that the NDC, during its national convention, zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South for a single four-year term, a move said to have cleared the way for Obi’s possible emergence as the party’s candidate.
Kwankwaso was reported to have supported the arrangement amid speculations that he could emerge as Obi’s running mate in the 2027 presidential election.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, Fani-Kayode questioned why Kwankwaso would believe Obi’s alleged commitment to serving only one term, describing the former Anambra governor as politically unreliable.
According to him, Obi had allegedly fallen out with several political allies and parties he previously worked with since returning to active politics in 1999.
The former minister said although he considered Kwankwaso an intelligent politician, he was surprised by his support for the proposed arrangement.
He alleged that Obi could eventually sideline Kwankwaso politically if given the opportunity, insisting that politicians rarely surrender power voluntarily after attaining office.
Fani-Kayode also expressed confidence that the NDC would not win the 2027 presidential election, predicting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would secure re-election.
He further argued that attempts to deny the South-West an uninterrupted eight-year presidency would not succeed.The latest defections come amid ongoing political realignments as parties reposition ahead of the next general elections.
