Ganduje Says Obi-Kwankwaso Ticket Is Dead On Arrival In Kano

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has declared that a proposed presidential ticket involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso will fail to gain support in Kano State ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, the former Kano State governor said the alliance, expected to run on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), lacks the political strength, leadership credentials and governance record needed to win in the state. “I don’t think Peter Obi and Kwankwaso’s ticket will succeed in Kano. It will not succeed. In fact, it is dead on arrival,” Ganduje said.

Ganduje questioned Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, asking what the former governor achieved in office and what legacy he left behind. He argued that Obi had not shown the governance experience required to lead Nigeria.

Turning to Kwankwaso, Ganduje said the former Kano governor had not built a legacy strong enough to convince residents of the state, or Nigerians more broadly, that he would make an effective vice-president. He asked what specific legacy Kwankwaso left in Kano that would convince the people of the state, and of Nigeria, that he could serve successfully in that role.

Ganduje also compared Kwankwaso’s record to that of Kano’s two other former two-term governors. He noted that unlike himself and Ibrahim Shekarau, who each served eight consecutive years in office, Kwankwaso did not win back-to-back terms and only returned to the position after an eight-year gap.

The comments add to a growing exchange of criticism directed at the proposed alliance from figures aligned with Kano’s political establishment. In May, Sanusi Bature, Director-General of Media to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, dismissed the potential Kwankwaso-Obi ticket as politically unviable, saying it could not secure a million votes in the state and that any political moves by Kwankwaso would ultimately benefit President Bola Tinubu. Bature argued that Kwankwaso, who won about a million votes in Kano during the 2023 presidential election, has since lost significant support and is now pursuing the alliance with Obi mainly to consolidate non-indigenous and Christian votes, a strategy he said would still fall short in what he described as a conservative state.

Neither Obi nor Kwankwaso had responded to Ganduje’s remarks as of press time.

The exchange comes as political parties and alliances continue to take shape ahead of the 2027 general election, with Kano State viewed as a key battleground in northern Nigeria.