Politics

LP Welcomes Kwankwaso’s Offer to be Peter Obi’s Running Mate for 2027

Published

2 months ago

Oct 7, 2024.

On Sunday, the Labour Party expressed its support for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, who has offered to serve as a running mate to LP’s Peter Obi in the upcoming 2027 presidential election.

Kwankwaso made his intentions known in a recent viral post, indicating his willingness to partner with the former Labour Party presidential candidate, just two years after discussions between their parties fell through.

Prior to the 2023 general elections, both the LP and the NNPP had contemplated a merger, but those plans collapsed due to disagreements over leadership roles, as neither Obi nor Kwankwaso was willing to concede.

In a circulated video, Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano State, expressed his readiness to collaborate, stating, “I’m bigger than Peter Obi politically; I’m his elder brother, I hold a PhD, and I performed better than him during my tenure as governor. I have no problem serving as his deputy, but only if certain conditions are met.”

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He emphasized the importance of establishing trust for meaningful discussions to take place.

In the previous elections, Peter Obi of the Labour Party secured approximately 6,101,533 votes, finishing in third place, while Kwankwaso garnered 1,496,687 votes, placing a distant fourth.

Kwankwaso has been critical of the Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government, particularly regarding its economic policies, which he claims have caused widespread hardship for Nigerians.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Umar Farouk, the National Secretary of the Labour Party, welcomed Kwankwaso’s renewed interest in collaboration. However, he urged the former Kano governor not to undermine merger discussions by asserting his political superiority or academic credentials.

Farouk remarked, “As a political party, we advocate for good governance and provide all our candidates, past and present, the opportunity to associate with like-minded individuals who share the Labour Party’s philosophy and ideology.

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“We appreciate that Kwankwaso has stepped down from his high horse and is willing to support Obi as his deputy, having witnessed that he secured over six million votes in the 2023 election. Despite his claimed popularity in the North, he only managed to gather less than two million votes.

“He should refrain from boasting about being a bigger politician or a PhD holder. What did he achieve as Minister of Defence? Politicians need to consider the political dynamics and the electorate’s sentiment at any given time.

“We understand that the political landscape in 2023 will differ from that of 2027. If Obi and Kwankwaso genuinely come together, it would benefit Nigerians and provide a chance to wrest power from the APC government. However, we are aware that the current administration will not easily allow this renewed effort to succeed.”

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