Kwankwaso to Ali Modu Sheriff: You attacked Obi to impress Tinubu

Rabiu Kwankwaso has accused former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff of dismissing Peter Obi’s electoral prospects in northern Nigeria merely to impress President Bola Tinubu.

Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, rejected Sheriff’s claim that the North would not support Obi in the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the former Kano State governor said Sheriff was not being sincere with his assessment of Obi’s chances.

“My humble self, Ali Modu Sheriff and His Excellency Bola Tinubu were all in the aborted Third Republic. We know ourselves very well,” Kwankwaso said.

He disclosed that he remained in contact with both men, particularly Sheriff, despite their current political differences.

“I know what he tells me, and I have heard him when he was here, but I can tell you he was not serious about it,” he said.

“He just wanted to impress our brother in the Villa and convince him that he is working.”

Kwankwaso also dismissed suggestions that his political influence in Kano had weakened, insisting that even his opponents recognised the strength of the Kwankwasiyya movement.

“Even the worst enemy would tell you Kwankwaso has Kano,” he said.

“I feel happy when people underrate me because it sends people to sleep while you are working.”

The former governor also cited Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election, noting that he secured more than two million votes across northern Nigeria without the support of the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Kwankwaso maintained that the political mood in Kano and other parts of the North was different from the picture presented by Sheriff.