A close ally of the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has claimed that he is open to replacing Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in the 2027 election.
There has been growing anxiety among political class members regarding the choice of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s running mate in 2027.
Some political groups in the region are at home with the continuation of the Tinubu Shettima ticket in 2027, while others are pushing for Shettima’s replacement with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
However, some groups are demanding that Tinubu replace Shettima with Kwankwaso.
Speaking to The Sun, an ally of Kwankwaso, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said Kwankwaso is not opposed to the agenda.
The source believed that when the time came and if the right procedures were implemented, Kwankwaso would exit his current party, NNPP, for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He insisted that what the administration is lacking, at the moment, is a strong deputy, who can ease the President of the overarching responsibility of his office, governance and help him harness his politics.
He asserted that this weakness was directly responsible for the sharp slide in Tinubu’s politics in the core North, adding that in just two years, Tinubu, once the darling of the region, has lost his exceptional appeal and attraction.
In his reasoning, a political gladiator like Kwankwaso, who is highly regarded across the core North, is a sure bet for the kind of revival that is needed for rebirth of Tinubu in the region ahead of 2027.
“Kwankwaso has a huge population of Northern youths behind him. Kwankwaso already has an imposing structure in many of the states of the North and Kwankwaso has the right rhetorical power to sway opponents to the side of Tinubu in any debate,” he declared.
The source also argued that Kwankwaso is a workaholic, who is never tired of work or tired of working for the ordinary man.
“I see in him another Wike kind of workaholic. If you look at his two-time tenure as the governor of Kano State, you will agree with me on this. Kano was never short of his positive exploits. The state was almost becoming a new Dubai by the time his tenure ended. I think he will bring these vast experiences, this vast energy to bear if he is chosen as Tinubu’s running mate. In fact, with him on the ticket, the election is a done deal,” he argued.