By our reporter
*Northern Leaders Met In Quest For An Honest Southerner And Settled For Obi, He Says
*’Election Results Will Prove To Atiku If Our Popularity Is Only In Kano As Claimed’
Former governor of Kano State and heavyweight of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has revealed why the North decided to form an alliance with Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, himself another titan of NDC, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Both prominent opposition political figures, like those in similar parties, are seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu from Aso Villa during the election.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Kwankwaso, eyeing a joint presidential ticket with Obi, said the North is returning to the political approach adopted by Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, the late Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa as well as Premier of Northern Nigeria and Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, during their time.
People&Politics notes that these co-founding fathers of Nigeria deployed their political party, the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), into an alliance with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), led by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, in a national coalition government which ran the country’s First Republic from 1960-66 with Azikiwe emerging as Nigeria’s first post-independent President.
Tracing the nation’s more recent political history, Engr. Kwankwaso pointed to the Second Republic (1979-83), saying former President Shehu Shagari also worked closely with leaders from the South-East.
People&Politics recalls that Shagari’s government at the time, run by the now defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), had Dr Alex Ekwueme as Vice President; Dr Chuba Okadigbo as powerful Political Adviser to the President; and Engr Mark Okoye as Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT),
There were also other credible South-Easterners on board such as Dr
Sylvester Ugoh, Minister for Education, later moved to Science and Technology; Victor Masi, Minister for Finance, and later Works; Dr D.C. Ugwu, Minister for Health; Chief Paulinus Amadike, Minister for Social Welfare, Youth, Sports, and Culture (under him Nigeria made history winning its first ever African Cup of Nations by the then Green Eagles); and Dr Ihechukwu Madubuike, Education Minister.
Not left out were influential figures such as Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, Speaker, House of Representatives; Dr. Dozie Ikedife, Presidential Liaison Officer (PLO) for old Anambra State; Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Ikemba Nnewi, a party man; Chief CC Onoh (father of Bianca Ojukwu), aka the lion of Enugu Ngwo, the NPN governor of old Anambra State; and numerous others.
Obviously bearing these in mind, and demonstrating a profound sense of history, Kwankwaso said that the people of the South-East are friends of the North, noting that the region wants to work together with them.
“From my experience as former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, I had the opportunity to work with my Speaker, and we worked very well.
“Now we’re going back to what Tafawa-Balewa and Ahmadu Bello did during their time, and in the Second Republic, what Shehu Shagari and others did with the leadership of the South-East.
“But for me, it wasn’t just because we are going to the South-East. No, I looked around together with our leadership in the North to ask who we think is capable, who can come and work honestly with us so that we can move this country forward.
“And along the line, we realized that Peter Obi is at the forefront of it, and that’s why we all accepted to work together,” he said.
Popular Only In Kano Remark: Let’s Wait For Election And See –Kwankwaso Tells Atiku
Reacting to a remark by African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar that Kwankwaso is only popular in Kano State, the former Kano State governor responded, asking the ex-VP to wait and see the outcome of next year’s election.
His words: “Let’s wait and see the election. I have no issue with that, and I think we have gone past that level now.
“We are in the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) for now, and I know they are in the African Democratic Congress (ADC). I wish them well.
“You see, anybody who is talking about or asking questions about whether our votes will split in Kano is not patient. Let’s wait for the election and see whether our votes are split in Kano or not.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Engr. Kwankwaso (l) and Obi.
