Sanusi Bature, spokesperson to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, has alleged that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), is indirectly advancing President Bola Tinubu’s political interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday, Bature claimed the former Kano governor was supporting the president behind the scenes despite not doing so publicly.
“There are those who are working with Tinubu openly, directly in the public space, and there are those who can work for Tinubu behind the scenes,” Bature said.
“I believe whatever Kwankwaso is doing will favour Tinubu at the end of the day because Kwankwaso worked for Tinubu in 2023.
“I’m a member of the APC; I have been the opposition spokesperson in Kano, and I know what happened in 2023. I believe Kwankwaso is working for Tinubu in 2027 behind the scenes.”
Bature also dismissed speculation about a possible political alliance between Kwankwaso and Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, describing such a partnership as unsustainable within the context of Kano politics.
“The NNPP is no longer a formidable platform for 2027,” he said.
“There was an agreement among critical stakeholders, including Rabiu Kwankwaso, to find a lasting solution ahead of 2027 because the NNPP cannot fly on its own.”
According to Bature, political actors in Kano, with Kwankwaso’s approval, identified the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the preferred option for future political realignment, partly to facilitate broader participation at the federal level, including possible appointments into the Federal Executive Council.
He further alleged that Kwankwaso had initially sought a direct meeting with President Tinubu as part of political negotiations but later cancelled the engagement, citing a trip to China, and did not reschedule it.
On the possibility of a joint Obi-Kwankwaso presidential ticket, Bature argued that the arrangement would struggle to gain support in Kano State.
“A Peter Obi-Kwankwaso ticket in Kano is strange. Kwankwaso, a PhD holder, deputising Obi, who only holds a first degree, doesn’t look like the Kwankwaso we know. I don’t see this partnership working,” he said.
Bature added that such a ticket would perform below expectations in Kano despite Kwankwaso’s electoral strength in the state during the 2023 elections.
“Kwankwaso alone under NNPP was able to secure over a million votes in Kano in 2023. But believe me, in 2027, with Obi as presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as vice presidential candidate, that ticket cannot secure one million votes in Kano,” he said.