Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has explained the reasons behind his decision to choose former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
In an interview with The Sun published on Sunday, Obi said the partnership was built on a common commitment to reducing poverty through education and human capital development, describing Kwankwaso as someone who shares his vision for Nigeria.
“Kwankwaso has the philosophy of pulling people out of poverty.
“I have the same philosophy. Kwankwaso believes in education. You cannot change society without education.
“If you look at my X, formerly Twitter, I made it clear that I will emphasise education. Education is going to change society.
“Nigeria must be seen to form its innermost human capital, which we need to develop. Kwankwaso believes in this. I do. We have synergy,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor also dismissed reports suggesting there were cracks in his relationship with the Kwankwasiyya Movement leader, saying they remain united in pursuit of their political goals ahead of the January 2027 general election.
“I don’t know why people talk about differences between people who are working together. Have you ever seen us quarrelling?
“You see, people quarrel even in offices because of transactional governance. The country is in a mess because of transactional governance. I am not into transactional government. I am into transformational governance.
“We want to change the society and make it better. We want to pull people out of poverty, not the other way around,” he said.
Obi and Kwankwaso contested separately in the 2023 presidential election, finishing third and fourth respectively behind President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and then-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
While Obi ran on the platform of the Labour Party, Kwankwaso was the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
The two politicians, alongside Atiku, later joined forces under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2026 before Obi and Kwankwaso eventually moved to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, citing internal disagreements and legal disputes within the ADC.
Asked why their political alliance did not happen before the 2023 election, Obi said his attention is focused on the future rather than past political developments.
“Those who think about yesterday and today will miss tomorrow. The past is gone. We are talking about the present,” he said.
Addressing concerns about bringing together supporters of the Obidient Movement and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Obi expressed confidence that both groups are united by a shared desire to transform the country.
“We do not just have large followers alone. People are gravitating to what is right. How are we going to manage them? We have no problem whatsoever. We want to change the society. Our followers want a changed and better society,” he added.