Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has explained why he supports a possible alliance between Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Galadima, in report by Daily Independent, said the plan rests on political calculations aimed at producing a candidate who can defeat President Bola Tinubu in a free and fair election.
He said the Kwankwasiya Movement has a strong base, especially in Kano, but relying only on the movement may not be enough to make Kwankwaso president.
He said the political team also considered how Kwankwaso could play a major role in government and help turn their ideas for Nigeria into reality.
Galadima described Nigerian politics as a complicated game that requires careful planning.
He said the decision to support Obi did not come from emotion but from calculations about his ability to attract votes across different regions.
He said Obi, as a southern candidate, could draw support from the South while also gaining votes from other parts of the country.
The strategy, he explained, was to find a southern candidate who could win at least five states, while any additional states would count as a bonus.
Kwankwaso’s Kano strength
However, Galadima defended Kwankwaso’s political strength, especially his ability to deliver Kano State.
He questioned whether another Nigerian politician could confidently guarantee victory in his own state in the same way Kwankwaso could.
However, some critics have accused Kwankwaso of having little influence outside Kano and lacking the money needed for a presidential campaign. Galadima, however, said the political calculations went beyond those concerns.
The NDC chieftain addressed the possibility of Kwankwaso stepping aside from the presidential race. He compared the move to the way rams fight, saying they sometimes pull back before gathering strength for another attack.
He said such a retreat should not mean cowardice. Rather, he described it as a strategic move that could create room for a stronger political effort later.
Galadima said the wider goal was to combine political strengths from different regions and use them to challenge Tinubu at the polls.
He said the proposed alliance would focus on defeating the incumbent and offering Nigerians a stronger political alternative.
He said, “If you want to defeat Tinubu, what would you do? We thought the best thing to defeat Tinubu would be to bring a southern candidate that can have a minimum of five states. If he has above five, it’s a bonus.”
However, Galadima maintained that the strategy did not come from impulse. He said the political team studied available options and considered which combination could produce the desired electoral result.
Furthermore, he said the possible Obi-Kwankwaso alliance would bring their political strengths together.
He also suggested that Kwankwaso could still play a major role in government if he stepped aside and the arrangement allowed his supporters’ interests and ideas to reach the highest level.
The veteran strategist described the proposed alliance as a calculated political arrangement. He said it would combine regional support, electoral strength and political experience in the bid to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
External sources
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) — 2027 election information
INEC — Official election timetable and schedule
New Telegraph — Galadima on Tinubu and the Obi-Kwankwaso strategy
