Habibu Saleh, the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, says that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who ran for president in the past, is willing to take on any role, even vice president, to make sure that President Bola Tinubu is not re-elected in 2027.
Saleh told the Daily Post this during an interview about the ongoing coalition talks and comments made by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar about Kwankwaso’s political importance.
Kwankwaso’s main goal, according to Saleh, is not to further his own interests but to get rid of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu so that democracy can survive and the country can be saved.
He said, “My principal has made it very clear to all of us that we are joining this coalition only to help get rid of the current APC government and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so that democracy can survive and the country can be saved.”
“He has been making alliances, bringing people together, and doing everything else he can to make sure the party wins its fight. He is willing to give up what he needs to in order to reach that goal.
“Whether he gets a job as vice president or in some other capacity, I think that will help the coalition and the ADC succeed.”
“If he looks at the deal and thinks it will help the party win, my boss will go along with it.” For Nigerians and for democracy, success is the most important thing.
Saleh went on to say that Atiku’s claim that Kwankwaso only controls Kano votes was an understatement.
He says that Kwankwaso got a lot of votes outside of Kano in the 2023 election, even though he was running on a weak platform.
He said, “Anyone who says that my principal is only important in Kano is seriously understating the situation.” The numbers from the last election show that this is not the case.
“He got about 906,000 votes from Kano and about 500,000 votes from other parts of the country. And keep in mind that he ran for a political party that wasn’t very well known.
“He didn’t have the support of any current officeholder, not even a governor, a member of the House of Representatives, or a councillor.” He also didn’t have strong party structure or support from the elite.
Seleh said that when he compared Kwankwaso’s performance to Atiku’s previous presidential campaign, he saw that his principal had real support from the people.
He said, “Any candidate who can deliver his own state under these conditions shows real connection with the people and strong political credibility.”
“When Atiku ran for Vice President while he was still in office, he got about two million votes, which was about six percent of the total.”
“Kwankwaso, who was running for the first time without holding a major office, also got about six percent. So, you can think about that and make your own decision.
Saleh said that a joint ticket between Atiku and Kwankwaso, both from Northern Nigeria, is not realistic.
He said, “I don’t think that’s realistic.” We need to be careful enough to show a ticket that shows a balance between North and South.
“A ticket for the same region or religion will only divide the country and hurt democracy.” Nigerians want fairness and to be included.
He said that this is why a lot of Nigerians are interested in a Kwankwaso-Peter Obi ticket.
He also said, “That kind of ticket is easy to sell.” It can help Nigerians get along by closing the gap of distrust.
