The Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has described as laughable Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s claim that he would significantly reduce the party’s votes in Kano during the 2027 elections.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, is the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party in Kano.

In a statement on Thursday, the Kano APC Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, called on Kwankwaso to stop “daydreaming” and instead focus on reclaiming his membership in the NNPP.

Abbas characterised Kwankwaso as a “political refugee,” accusing him of clinging to Kano State, Governor Abba Yusuf, “like a leech” in a futile bid to regain relevance.

“Our teeming supporters in the APC have no cause to worry about Kwankwaso, who has been booted out of the NNPP due to his cluelessness and self-centredness. We expect Kwankwaso to keep wondering why he has become a wanderer in the political terrain,” Abbas said.

“He ran away from the APC because he couldn’t fit into our progressive ideals. His over-bloated ego and domineering posture forced him to abandon the PDP, and he has now become a political refugee because the NNPP refused to accommodate him.”

Abbas further assured APC supporters that the party would not tolerate a repeat of what he described as “vote manipulation and allocation” during the 2023 elections, which he claimed created a false impression of the NNPP’s strength in Kano.

“The APC is already waiting in the wings to not only reclaim Kano State but also save the people from the undue influence of Kwankwaso, who rules from his Miller Road castle,” he added.

The statement was in reaction to Kwankwaso’s remarks during a recent meeting at his residence in Kano, where he claimed to have received former councillors and senior special advisers from the administration of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

Reflecting on the 2023 elections, Kwankwaso said, “Despite being a new political platform and starting our campaign late, we achieved this remarkable feat.”

He noted that the NNPP’s efforts sidelined the Peoples Democratic Party, which struggled to secure just 15,000 votes in Kano.

“Now, it’s our turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano come 2027,” Kwankwaso declared.

A former spokesman and ex-Director-General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has stated that the South, and not the North, should produce the president in 2027.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, Okupe argued that fairness demands that the South completes its eight-year term, similar to the North before the emergence of President Bola Tinubu.

Okupe acknowledged that although Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in 2023, is eminently qualified to contest in 2027, geopolitical considerations make it inappropriate for him to assume the presidency at that time.

“Atiku failed in 2023 not because he was not a good person but because people felt that a northern Muslim could not succeed another northern Muslim after eight years,” Okupe said.

“If Atiku contests in 2027, he has the right. He is eminently qualified and one of the best we have, but geopolitics is an issue.

“The conditionality still persists: a southerner would have just completed four years and needs another four-year term.

“It’s not in the constitution, but we agree that when a northerner does his eight years, a southerner will do the same.

“So, the North cannot now terminate the tenure of the South in 2027. It is not going to work.”

Okupe also highlighted that Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, could vie for the presidency in 2027 as a southerner.

However, he expressed doubt that Obi could unseat Tinubu, noting the incumbent president’s progress in governing the country.

“Obi can contest. Obi is a young man, very dynamic and very ambitious. But geopolitics is important in a country that has not achieved horizontal and vertical unity.

“The person who is occupying the place right now, Tinubu, is also a southerner, who is doing well.

“We can see what this gentleman (Tinubu) is doing. I wish Obi luck, but it is going to be an uphill task,” Okupe said.

Regarding potential alliances of politicians and parties to unseat Tinubu in 2027, Okupe said such coalitions would likely fail due to an inability to make necessary concessions

“I have been in this game for over 40 years. I came into politics in 1978. I have been in several talks and discussions and represented my party and movement in several alliances.

“We have not attained the maturity to be rational, reasonable, and ready to make the necessary concessions for group interest. We are not there yet.

“Even in private businesses, 90 percent of partnerships crumble within the first three years.

“I wish those attempting alliances luck, but it is going to end the same way it always does—futility,” Okupe said.

Reflecting on the alliance that brought ex-President Buhari to power in 2015, Okupe acknowledged Tinubu’s pivotal role, stating that Tinubu made significant concessions to ensure its success.

“The man who spearheaded that alliance had grown beyond naivety and selfishness.

“You set up an alliance, cook food, and invite others to eat. Tinubu conceded everything to make it work,” he said.

Okupe expressed doubt that opposition leaders like Atiku, Peter Obi, and Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso would demonstrate similar maturity or willingness to concede to one another in 2027.

Speaking about Tinubu’s performance, Okupe commended the president’s clarity of purpose and direction.

“Nigeria is lucky that Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election. He has purpose, zeal, and clarity of mind about where he wants to lead the country.

“It took Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore 31 years to bring Singapore from nowhere to a first-world country.

“It is either we want this country to move forward and be upgraded, or we want to keep playing politics and destroying the lives of our children,” Okupe concluded.

As preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has announced a bold plan to reduce the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a mere shadow of its former self in Kano State.

Kwankwaso stated that his party would work tirelessly to ensure that the ruling APC secures fewer than 15,000 votes in the state by the 2027 elections, much like the NNPP’s success in relegating the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to a meager 15,000 votes in the 2023 elections.

The former governor of Kano made this declaration while addressing delegates from the Kano North senatorial district at his Miller Road Mansion in Kano. He acknowledged the hard work and dedication of his party during the 2023 elections, which saw the PDP struggling to gain support despite its long-standing presence in the state. Notably, the NNPP achieved this feat despite being a relatively new political force with a late start to its campaign.

Kwankwaso emphasized that the next goal is to strip the APC of its influence in the state. “Now, it’s time to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano by 2027,” he declared.

He stressed the importance of grassroots mobilization and dedicated efforts from all party members to solidify the NNPP’s standing as a dominant political entity in Kano and across the nation. Kwankwaso urged his supporters to stay focused on their mission and deliver results that would guarantee the success of the NNPP in future elections.

During the visit, Abdul Bichi, the leader of the NNPP delegates, spoke to the media, explaining that the purpose of the visit was to reaffirm their loyalty to Kwankwaso and to sever ties with former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi. Abdul confirmed that they had distanced themselves from Dr. Bichi since his removal from office.

“We were once supporters of the former SSG, and we hail from the same constituency. But since his departure from the government, we have chosen to align ourselves fully with Kwankwaso. We are here today to renew our loyalty to him and confirm that we are not leaving the party, nor are we following the former SSG,” Abdul stated.

The rift with Dr. Bichi arose after he was accused of leading a faction advocating for Governor Abba Yusuf to assert greater control over the government, allegedly against Kwankwaso’s influence. This internal conflict led to Bichi’s suspension from the party and the subsequent loss of his position as SSG. While the government cited health reasons for his removal, the internal dispute was widely viewed as the true cause of his ouster.