As discussions continue over which political party he may join ahead of the 2027 elections, the national leader of a faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said he would only join a political party that offers him either the presidential or vice-presidential ticket.
Kwankwaso, who held meetings with President Bola Tinubu shortly after the president was sworn in in 2023 did not secure any formal position from those engagements.
He has since indicated interest in securing a senior national role within a political party, as the presidential primaries draw closer.
The possibility of being offered the vice-presidential slot of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been described as unlikely due to his limited involvement in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has coincided with increased influence within the party by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former presidential candidate Peter Obi, who are regarded as leading contenders for the party’s presidential ticket.
There are also reports of discussions aimed at reviving the 2019 presidential ticket featuring Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Both politicians contested the joint ticket on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Atiku joined the ADC from the PDP while Obi joined from the Labour Party, the platforms on which they contested the 2023 presidential election.
Kwankwaso contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the NNPP.
Speaking in Kano, Kwankwaso dismissed speculation that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf may defect from the NNPP to the APC.
“At the national level, we are looking for a political party to align with,” he said, adding that the party “must be one that will offer me either the presidential ticket or the vice-presidential slot.”
Responding to reports of Governor Yusuf leaving the NNPP, he said, “That is nothing but a dream.”