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Former Kano State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has revealed that one of his daughters urged him to work with Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, during the 2023 general election.

Kwankwaso made the disclosure on Monday while speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.

According to him, many political leaders in the country have failed to understand the mindset and aspirations of young Nigerians, especially in the era of social media.

He said younger Nigerians are more interested in competent leadership than issues of religion and ethnicity often emphasised by older politicians.

Kwankwaso noted that even within his household, younger family members expressed views that reflected the growing demand for political collaboration and better leadership ahead of the 2023 election.

The former governor added that many young Nigerians are united by a desire for credible leadership capable of addressing the country’s challenges.

Kwankwaso said: “So many things have changed in this country. You have leaders, many of whom don’t even realize what is happening on social media. We have leaders who hardly have any contact with young men and women. People of our age, my age, or especially the age of Atiku, are very few in this country compared to the younger people. The younger people have their own way of thinking, even our children.

“You will be surprised, even during the 2023 election, in my own house, my own daughter was telling me to go and work with Peter Obi. She didn’t say she was obedient, but she wanted me to work together with him, and vice versa.

“So you see, there is a lot happening in this country, but people at that level we are talking about don’t even understand.

“People are talking about religion. People are talking about ethnicity. People are talking, especially those at our level and age, but the younger people are looking for the right leadership for this country. And I think they are absolutely right.”

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Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has revealed why he decided to form an alliance with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, Kwankwaso said the North is returning to the political approach adopted by Tafawa Balewa and Ahmadu Bello during their time.

According to him, during the Second Republic, former President Shehu Shagari also worked closely with leaders from the South East.

The former Kano State governor stated 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.

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The Plateau Vanguard for Democracy, PVD, has strongly defended Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang’s decision to align with the All Progressives Congress, APC, describing the move as one driven by wisdom, political reality and the urgent need to secure Plateau State’s long-term interests.

Speaking in a statement issued on behalf of the group, the National Coordinator of PVD, Chris Ishaku, said recent developments within the opposition had vindicated Governor Mutfwang’s political calculations, particularly amid growing uncertainty surrounding the future of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

According to Ishaku, the PDP has steadily drifted into instability, pointing to emerging reports that even the chairman of the Governors’ Forum has also sought another platform for his loyalists.

“Governor Mutfwang saw ahead of many others. The reality today is that the PDP has no clear future, and responsible leaders must position their people where opportunities and stability exist,” Ishaku said.

He said such developments clearly showed that the opposition party was losing cohesion and could no longer provide the stable political platform required to sustain governance and development.

The group maintained that Governor Mutfwang’s alignment with the APC had already started yielding practical dividends for Plateau State, both politically and economically.

PVD specifically cited the growing atmosphere of peace among political elites in the state, noting that the reduction in political hostility and internal rivalry had created a more stable environment for governance.

The group also pointed to the Federal Government’s recent decision to commence work on the Akwanga-Jos road project as one of the immediate gains linked to Plateau State’s improved relationship with the centre.

“The commencement of the Akwanga-Jos road is a practical signal that Plateau is now benefiting from stronger cooperation with the Federal Government. These are the gains of strategic political alignment,” he added.

According to the statement, the strategic road corridor is expected to significantly improve transportation, boost commerce and ease movement into Plateau State, while also enhancing security and economic activities across the region.

Ishaku further argued that with the distractions of internal political bickering substantially reduced, the Mutfwang administration could now focus more squarely on governance, infrastructure and development programmes aimed at improving the lives of Plateau citizens.

The group urged Plateau people to support the governor’s political direction, insisting that the state stands to gain more through unity, stability and constructive engagement with the Federal Government.