The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed speculation of a rift between him and his running mate, former Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, insisting that the pair remain united ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with The Sun published on Sunday, Obi said reports suggesting cracks in their alliance were unfounded, stressing that there had never been any disagreement between the two political leaders.
“I don’t know why people talk about differences between people who are working together. Have you ever seen us quarrelling?” Obi asked.
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The former Anambra State governor said the perception of divisions among political allies often stems from the transactional nature of Nigerian politics, which he vowed his administration would reject.
“You see, people quarrel even in offices because of transactional governance. The country is in a mess because of transactional governance. I am not into transactional government. I am into transformational governance,” he said.
Obi maintained that both he and Kwankwaso share a common vision of rebuilding Nigeria by investing in education, developing human capital and lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
According to him, these shared values formed the basis of his decision to choose the former Kano governor as his running mate.
“Kwankwaso has the philosophy of pulling people out of poverty. I have the same philosophy. Kwankwaso believes in education. You cannot change society without education,” he said.
He added that education would remain the cornerstone of an NDC administration if elected into office.
“If you look at my X, formerly Twitter, I made it clear that I will emphasise education. Education is going to change society. Nigeria must be seen to form its innermost human capital, which we need to develop. Kwankwaso believes in this. I do. We have synergy,” Obi stated.
The former governor also dismissed concerns that supporters of the Obidient Movement and the Kwankwasiyya Movement could clash during the campaign, insisting that both groups were united by a common desire to transform the country.
“We do not just have large followers alone. People are gravitating to what is right. How are we going to manage them? We have no problem whatsoever. We want to change the society. Our followers want a changed and better society,” he said.
Obi and Kwankwaso contested separately in the 2023 presidential election, finishing third and fourth respectively behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Obi flew the flag of the Labour Party, while Kwankwaso contested under the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
Ahead of the 2027 election, both politicians initially joined Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures in a coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, Obi and Kwankwaso later defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), citing internal disagreements and legal disputes within the ADC before emerging as the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
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Asked why a similar alliance between him and Kwankwaso did not materialise before the 2023 election, Obi declined to dwell on the past.
“Those who think about yesterday and today will miss tomorrow. The past is gone. We are talking about the present,” he said.
His comments come amid sustained speculation over the stability of the Obi-Kwankwaso partnership and the ability of their political movements to work together ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested 2027 presidential election.
