Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has explained why the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC) adopted Peter Obi as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Kwankwaso said party leaders unanimously agreed on Obi’s candidacy after extensive meetings and consultations across the country.
He disclosed this during an interview on Global Television on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
According to Kwankwaso, the party resolved to zone its presidential ticket to the South and, after a thorough search across the southern geopolitical zones, settled on the former Anambra State governor as the strongest candidate.
“Let me say that when we joined the NDC, we invited all our leaders from the six geopolitical zones for consultations. We sat down and looked at the situation as it were. The party, in its wisdom, decided to zone the presidential ticket to the South.
“We looked across the South — not necessarily just the Southeast — all three zones. We looked from bottom to top, and we realised that Peter Obi is the best candidate,” Kwankwaso said.
When asked whether he believes Obi is a better candidate than his friend, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kwankwaso replied: “Yes, that was our assessment at that particular time, and I still believe that.”