2027: Kwankwaso downplays Modu’s Sheriff’s remarks on Obi’s northern popularity

The vice presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has dismissed claims by former Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, that northern voters would not support Peter Obi in the 2027 presidential election.

Kwankwaso spoke during an interview on Channels Television on Monday while reacting to Sheriff’s recent remarks that the NDC presidential candidate lacked electoral appeal in the North.

The former Kano State governor suggested that Sheriff made the comments to curry favour with the Presidency rather than reflect the political reality in the region.

“I’ve heard him when he was here. I can tell you he’s not serious about it; he just wanted to impress our brother in the Villa to convince him that he’s working,” Kwankwaso said.

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He also dismissed Sheriff’s assessment of Kano politics, insisting that his political influence in the state remained intact.

“Even the worst enemy would tell you Kwankwaso has Kano, but the point he wanted to make is that Kano is divided. I am not one of the politicians who go out bragging. In fact, most of the time, I feel happy when people underrate me on what I can do because it sends people to sleep while you’re working,” he said.

Kwankwaso argued that the political mood in Kano State and across northern Nigeria differed significantly from the picture painted by Sheriff.

“I can tell you, by the grace of God, the people of Kano State and northern Nigeria are completely different from what he was trying to paint here,” he added.

The former governor further maintained that Obi had already demonstrated his electoral strength in the North, pointing to the Labour Party candidate’s performance in the 2023 presidential election.

“Peter is not a new person in terms of running for election in northern Nigeria. He ran with Atiku Abubakar; we’ve seen what they got. In the last election, he contested himself and he got over two million votes in northern Nigeria and, by whatever standard, two million is a huge number,” Kwankwaso said.

According to him, Obi remains a strong political force in many parts of the region.

“The fact remains that in many parts of northern Nigeria, Peter himself is very formidable and the people who voted for him last time are still around,” he added.