By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has confirmed a key pact with presidential candidate Peter Obi for a single-term tenure.
Kwankwaso disclosed that both candidates and the party formally signed a written agreement stipulating Obi would serve a single four-year term if victorious in 2027.
“It is legally documented. We have done one for the party, and we have done another one between the two of us,” he said in an interview on Channels TV monitored by Persecondnews.
He said the agreement was based on an understanding that the presidency would remain in the South for one term before returning to the North.
“After our term of four years, 2027 to 2031, it comes back to the North, and that is the general agreement.”
Kwankwaso said the arrangement reflected what he described as the country’s current political reality, under which the presidency would remain in the South for one term before returning to the North.
Explaining how the alliance with Obi was forged, the former Kano State governor said both political camps constituted a joint committee to review their policy blueprints and assess the country’s political landscape before deciding to work together.
“At the end of the day, it was suggested to us that the best way forward actually was for us to work together. We all accepted that there was need for us to work together,” Kwankwaso also said.
He said the committee subsequently recommended that both sides work together, a proposal he said was accepted by the two camps and laid the foundation for their political alliance ahead of the 2027 election.
On the legal challenge surrounding the NDC’s registration, Kwankwaso said he was confident the party would remain on the ballot in the 2027 general election.
“I’m not worried, not at all. I don’t think, under our circumstances, any respected judge would be in a hurry to say NDC should not participate in the 2027 election.”
Kwankwaso said he remained optimistic that the legal issues would be resolved, adding that the court ruling that triggered the dispute had surprised many observers.