NNPP, NDC Trade Words as Obi–Kwankwaso 2027 Rumours Refuse to Die
By: Oluwaseun M. Lawal
Is there a quiet plan to pair Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso in 2027? Or is it all just political noise?
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are now throwing sharp words at each other over claims that the NNPP was being steered toward collapsing its structure into an Obi-Kwankwaso presidential alliance. An idea that won’t go away. No matter how many denials are issued.
NNPP National Chairman, Major Agbo, says the whole thing traces back to the party’s former leadership. In an interview, he accused the immediate past chairman, Bala Yusuf, and his team of quietly plotting to align the party with what he called an “Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement” under the NDC banner.
According to Agbo, the plan was simple — merge the structure, shift loyalty, back Kwankwaso. He didn’t mince words.
“They would have collapsed everything into their principal’s project. That’s the kind of greed we met,” he said, bluntly.
He insisted the NNPP’s earlier decision to field a placeholder presidential candidate was merely procedural. Electoral timelines wait for no one. It was not, he stressed, a signal of any deal with the NDC. Or even with the ruling APC.
Agbo also shut the door — firmly — on working again with Kwankwaso. No future handshake, he suggested. Still, he noted the party remains open to alliances, but only with groups whose ideas match its constitution and manifesto. When the time is right, he added, the placeholder candidate will be swapped for someone stronger. Someone serious.
The tension comes at a delicate moment for the NNPP. In recent months, it has watched several big names walk away — Kwankwaso among them. Former National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson also moved on. The party even lost its only elected governor, Abba Yusuf of Kano State, along with some political appointees, to the APC. Not small blows.
But the NDC is brushing off the accusations.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary Abdulmumin Abdulsalam said there is no pact. No secret understanding. Nothing with the NNPP, especially not in Kano’s local political scene.
“We are a moving train,” he said confidently. “The momentum we have is enough.”
He went further, suggesting that if anyone is searching for relevance through alliances, it would be the NNPP — not the NDC. As for Kwankwaso returning? That chapter is closed, he implied, describing the NNPP as “an old cloth” that has served its time.
Strong words. Politics, after all, is rarely gentle.
As 2027 inches closer, talks of coalitions and power-sharing deals are bubbling again. Some real. Some imagined. And for now, both parties seem determined to control the story — even if the rumours keep running ahead of them.
Oluwaseun Musa Lawal is an Editor at REPORTERS ROOM with over eight years of professional journalism experience. He specializes in reporting on politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial affairs. His work is driven by a commitment to accuracy, balanced reporting, and public-interest journalism.
