Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has questioned how former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso would convince northern voters to support Obi if both politicians eventually form a joint ticket ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Datti raised questions about the proposed political alliance, recalling the difficulties he encountered while campaigning for Obi across Northern Nigeria during the 2023 election.
According to him, the political dynamics in the North could make it difficult for Kwankwaso to persuade his supporters and other northern voters to back Obi, particularly given the criticisms Kwankwaso had previously directed at the former Anambra State governor.
“I said it is very unlikely that the North will support Peter Obi. Very unlikely, because I know what I have faced. If you want me to repeat, when I jumped onto the ticket, I had to contend immediately with ID card,” he said.
The possibility of an Obi-Kwankwaso alliance has generated considerable discussion among supporters of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, emerged as a major political force, particularly among young Nigerians and voters in parts of the South and North-Central regions.
Kwankwaso, on the other hand, contested the 2023 election under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and recorded significant support in Kano and other parts of Northern Nigeria.
“From Borno, that is when they got that idea. I smuggled Peter Obi to Borno, to the Caliphate, to Kano, to Zaria, to market him. So I sorted that problem of ID card, mosque demolition.”
Datti also questioned whether Kwankwaso would show the same level of commitment he claimed to have demonstrated during the 2023 campaign.
“Because I took myself as a staff of Peter Obi. I considered myself as staff. Call me 2 a.m., I will jump up. Call me 4 a.m., I will jump up. Call me 6 a.m., I will jump up.”
He concluded by questioning whether factors such as age, ego and seniority could affect the ability of political figures to work together.
“So will age allow, will ego, will seniority, will all those things allow him?”
Datti, who served as Obi’s vice-presidential candidate in 2023, recalled that campaigning for Obi in the North was not without challenges.
He questioned whether Kwankwaso, given his political base and previous position on Obi, would be able to successfully persuade northern voters to support Obi if the two eventually decide to work together.
The former vice-presidential candidate’s comments come amid ongoing discussions among opposition politicians and political groups about possible alliances ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
With the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) expected to face a coalition of opposition forces, the ability of opposition leaders to agree on a single presidential candidate and build a broad regional coalition is likely to play a major role in determining the outcome of the election.
For any potential Obi-Kwankwaso alliance to succeed, the two politicians would need to reconcile their previous differences and convince their respective supporters that the partnership offers a credible alternative ahead of 2027.
The political landscape remains fluid, and it is yet to be officially confirmed whether Obi and Kwankwaso will contest the 2027 election on the same ticket.