The Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has reaffirmed his full confidence in the party’s Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, stating that Nigerians have no reason to doubt Obi’s public commitment to serve only a single four-year term if elected President in 2027.
Speaking during an interview on News Central’s 60 Minutes with Mr Kay, Kwankwaso addressed questions regarding Obi’s pledge to limit himself to one term and the broader power-sharing arrangement within the NDC coalition.
“I personally believe Peter Obi is a gentleman and I have every reason to trust him, especially that he said it to the hearing of everybody. Nobody should have any reason to doubt him,” Kwankwaso declared.
The former Kano State Governor explained that the coalition’s understanding on power rotation is rooted in mutual trust and a collective agreement among its partners. He noted that the arrangement would enable the southern part of the country to complete what the alliance regards as an eight-year presidential cycle before power returns northward.
“We believe the southern part of the country should complete its second term and, with that, and to the hearing of everybody in this country, I don’t believe any gentleman would want to renege, would want to say no or change his or her mind,” he stated.
Beyond individual ambitions, Kwankwaso emphasised that the NDC has developed a shared governance roadmap comprising short-term, medium-term and long-term plans for Nigeria. He stressed that the coalition’s priority remains the faithful implementation of this agreed agenda, irrespective of who occupies the presidency.
“More importantly, we have collectively gotten a short-term, medium-term and, of course, long-term plan for this country. It does not matter whether it is him from the Obidient side, or my humble self from the Kwankwasiyya side or another side, we believe we have an agenda,” Kwankwaso said.
He added that the alliance would work to ensure continuity of its programmes: “That agenda, we will as much as possible ensure that whoever comes, maybe Peter, maybe me or any other person, would stick to that programme.”
Kwankwaso’s remarks come amid public discussion of the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket’s commitment to a single-term presidency and the NDC’s internal power-sharing understanding aimed at promoting equity and national cohesion.