NDC vice-presidential candidate cautions parties against relying on governors’ numbers
ABUJA — Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has cautioned political parties against assuming that controlling a large number of states will guarantee victory in the 2027 general elections.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, made the remarks on Thursday during the NDC Town Hall Meeting in Rivers State. He argued that some governors, especially in the northern part of the country, had performed poorly and could face difficulties defending their records while campaigning for their respective parties.
A video of the event was shared on X by a user identified as ChuksEricE.
According to Kwankwaso, the results of previous elections have demonstrated that an incumbent government can be defeated regardless of the number of states controlled by its party.
He specifically warned politicians against relying on the backing of more than 30 governors, stressing that such political control does not automatically guarantee electoral success.
“The sitting president lost the election. I’m giving you an example, especially those who think because they have over 30 governors, they cannot lose the election. That is a very big mistake,” he said.
Kwankwaso further predicted that some governors, particularly in the North, could find it challenging to campaign effectively because of what he described as their poor performance in office.
“By the grace of God, all of them, especially the ones in the North, because I studied the trend. The trend is those governors and their party have performed woefully to the extent that it is very difficult for them even to come out and campaign,” he stated.
The former Kano governor also criticised what he described as the poor management of public funds by state governors and the Federal Government. He noted that government revenues have increased significantly compared with previous years but questioned the extent to which Nigerians have benefited from the increase.
Reflecting on his time as governor in 1999, Kwankwaso recalled that states and local governments were receiving about N4 billion each.
