NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso has urged former Zamfara governor Abdul’aziz Yari to reconsider leading the APC campaign council for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid
Kwankwaso to Yari: Reconsider Leading Tinubu’s 2027 Re-Election Campaign
Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has appealed to former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, to reconsider his decision to lead the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Kwankwaso, who is running alongside Peter Obi on the NDC ticket, made the appeal while reacting to the composition of the APC campaign council, questioning whether its membership represents a fresh direction or a continuation of the policies and political structure of the present administration.
In a statement, the former Kano State governor argued that the council brings together “many of the same political actors who have supported, defended or participated in the present administration,” raising questions about the message the ruling party intends to take to voters in 2027.
He asked, “what exactly are they asking Nigerians to vote for in 2027, a new beginning, or the continuation of the same system that has brought severe hardship to our people?”
Kwankwaso framed the forthcoming presidential election as a contest between “the oppressed Nigerian masses” and those who have, in his words, “benefited from, defended and sustained the system responsible for their hardship.”
He said Nigerians were grappling with rising food prices and the increasing cost of basic necessities, while young people continued to face unemployment and shrinking opportunities.
“Our education, healthcare and other essential public services remain under enormous pressure,” he said, adding that farmers and businesses were also struggling to survive amid insecurity and economic difficulties.
According to Kwankwaso, the composition of the APC campaign structure presents “another scenario between the oppressors and the oppressed,” urging Nigerians to use the 2027 election to “reject continued oppression and demand accountable, people-centred governance.”
“If Osun people can do it, so can all other parts of the country,” he said, apparently referring to the outcome of the recent Osun governorship election.
Kwankwaso then directed his appeal to Yari, whom the APC appointed Director-General of its Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
“I particularly appeal to my brother, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, who has accepted to serve as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, to reflect deeply and reconsider accepting this responsibility,” he said.
The former Kano governor said Yari’s experience as a former governor of Zamfara and prominent political figure in the North-West should give him a strong understanding of the difficulties confronting Nigerians, particularly communities in the region.
“As a former governor of Zamfara State and a prominent leader from the North-West, I believe Senator Yari has a clear understanding of the devastating consequences of insecurity, poverty, unemployment, displacement and the destruction of livelihoods in the region and the country at large,” Kwankwaso said.
He questioned whether Yari could, “in his good conscience,” lead a campaign seeking to secure another term for an administration under which, according to him, many of the people Yari once governed remain trapped in poverty, insecurity and other challenges.
“I therefore will be surprised if in his good conscience, he will lead a campaign whose principal objective is to secure the continuation of a government under which many of the people he once governed, and other innocent Nigerians remain trapped in these challenges,” he said.
Kwankwaso also questioned the involvement of senior officials responsible for managing key public institutions in the APC campaign’s fundraising and finance structures.
He specifically mentioned the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi.
“There is also a serious institutional question concerning the inclusion of the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Dr Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, in the campaign’s fundraising and finance structures,” he said.
The NDC vice-presidential candidate argued that officials heading critical public institutions must maintain “neutrality, integrity and public confidence,” questioning whether their statutory responsibilities could coexist with senior roles in a partisan presidential campaign.
“The government and the APC should explain how such arrangements are consistent with institutional neutrality and public trust,” Kwankwaso said.
Kwankwaso contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party before joining forces with Obi for the 2027 presidential contest. Obi formally named him as his running mate in May, with the pair subsequently stepping up preparations for the election.
The former Kano governor has described the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a partnership built around a shared vision for Nigeria, insisting that it is “not about region, religion or personal ambition” but “about Nigeria.”
Reacting further to the APC campaign council, Kwankwaso maintained that the electorate would ultimately determine the direction of the country regardless of the strength or composition of any political campaign structure.
“Ultimately, no campaign council is more powerful than the Nigerian people,” he said.
