The Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that the North must not always produce Nigeria’s leader, stressing the need for fairness, justice, and mutual respect between the northern and southern regions of the country.
Kwankwaso made the assertion during an interview on News Central Television while speaking on his decision to serve as running mate to a Southern presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on the NDC platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding to a school of thought that holds that the North should always rule Nigeria, the former Kano State Governor pointed to his current political alignment as clear evidence that such thinking does not represent the collective position of the North.
“I don’t have to put it in words. By what I am doing now, being vice to somebody from the South, I don’t think that argument can stand on our side,” Kwankwaso stated.
“So we believe, North, I can tell you, believe in fairness; we believe in justice and we believe in mutual respect between the South and the North. And that has always been our position,” he added.
The NDC is preparing for the 2027 presidential election with Peter Obi as its presidential candidate and Kwankwaso as his running mate. This marks a shift from 2023, when Kwankwaso declined a similar offer to serve as Obi’s running mate, citing the prevailing mood in the North that favoured retaining power in the region after the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Kwankwaso’s latest position underscores a commitment to national equity and cross-regional partnership as the country approaches another critical electoral cycle.