Former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has dismissed claims that he is working for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso said the allegation was false, adding that similar rumours had been circulated since his days in the New Nigeria People’s Party.
He spoke on Wednesday night during an interview with Global TV.
The former governor was reacting to claims by Sanusi Bature, spokesperson for Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, who alleged that Kwankwaso was indirectly working for Tinubu’s re-election.
Kwankwaso denied the claim, saying his political commitment was to the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
He said, “I think only foolish people would believe that. We are not working for anybody. We are only working for NDC.
“Bola Tinubu has been my senior brother and good friend up till now. But that doesn’t mean we shall pull all our political ideologies together with him.
“He is doing his own, and I am doing my own.”
Bature had alleged that Kwankwaso worked for Tinubu in 2023 and recently sought a direct meeting with the President, which did not materialise.
Kwankwaso, a former Minister of Defence, said that although he belonged to another political party, he believed the President might not be fully aware of the country’s situation because those around him were not telling him the truth.
He further stated, “Normally under the current circumstances, the president may not see what is happening. And unfortunately, most of the people around him are actually the ones creating the problems.
“So, in those circumstances, it is difficult to see who will advise him or tell him the obvious situation. What they normally tell and what they are doing is to pick governors. I think going by the number of governors now, APC is number one.”
Why We Backed Obi
Kwankwaso also explained why his camp decided to support former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the NDC.
Kwankwaso and Obi joined the NDC on May 3, where discussions have continued over a possible joint presidential ticket.
He said, “When we joined the NDC, we invited all our leaders from the six geopolitical zones, and we sat down and looked at the situations. We then decided to come together and work as a family.
“The party, in its own wisdom, decided to zone the presidential ticket to the south. We looked around across the zones, and we realised that Peter Obi is the best candidate. That was our assessment at that particular time.”
Asked about his popularity in the North and how he would help Obi mobilise votes in the North-East and North-West, Kwankwaso said the coalition had enough time to convince Nigerians before the election.
Kwankwaso added, “I can’t start telling our viewers that I am popular. I think it’s up to the people out there to tell. We are just in the field, working very hard.
“We are trying to convince the people, even those who are going about telling lies to try to take advantage of our differences in the country, which should be our strength, we are working on that.
“And I am happy to say that we are very lucky because from now till January 16, 2027, we have about eight months, which is enough time.
“Those who are telling the lies, the lies will come out, and people will also identify those who are telling the truth and are serious.”