Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has taken aim at former Borno governor Ali Modu Sheriff for questioning Peter Obi’s appeal in the North.
In an early‑hours post on X on Wednesday, Kwankwaso said he watched Sheriff’s recent interview on Channels Television “with disappointment,” arguing the comments ignored how Northern politics really work. “After a prolonged absence from public discourse, one would have expected that time away might have sharpened Senator Sheriff’s judgment. Regrettably, that does not appear to be the case,” he said.
Kwankwaso pushed back on Sheriff’s claim that Obi lacks support in the North, noting that in his first presidential run Mr Obi won about 2.8 million votes there. “For the record, in his first outing on the presidential ballot, Mr Obi secured approximately 2.8 million votes in the region — a remarkable achievement that cannot be dismissed lightly,” he stated.
He said current economic and social problems, and what he called the failure of the ruling administration, have boosted the OK ticket’s chances in the North. The pairing also grows stronger, he added, with a prominent Northern figure who once polled about 1.45 million votes in the region.
Kwankwaso rejected Sheriff’s claim that Kano voters would shun Obi, saying the state backs Kwankwasiyya‑endorsed candidates “regardless of ethnic or regional considerations.” “The good people of Kano are neither bigoted nor xenophobic. They have consistently demonstrated strong trust in the Kwankwasiyya movement and will support any credible ticket presented under its banner,” he said.
He urged Sheriff to focus on security and humanitarian issues at home rather than make divisive TV remarks. “The OK ticket currently represents the best opportunity for Nigerians to reset the country and place it on a path of competence, unity, and progress,” Kwankwaso added.
