Kwankwaso Blasts Sheriff Over Claim North Will Not Vote Peter Obi in 2027

Former Kano State Governor and Kwankwasiyya Movement leader Rabiu Kwankwaso publicly rebuked former Borno State Governor and senator Ali Modu Sheriff on Wednesday for claiming that northern voters would not support NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi in the 2027 general elections, describing the remarks as patronising, unfounded, and inconsistent with the political realities of northern Nigeria.

Kwankwaso said he watched Sheriff’s interview on Channels Television with disappointment, arguing that the former governor’s comments did not reflect how northern voters actually think or make electoral decisions. He said millions of northerners supported Obi in 2023 and that no individual had the authority to determine how free-spirited northern citizens would vote in 2027.

North Is Not Anyone’s Political Estate

The Kwankwasiyya Movement issued a formal statement condemning Sheriff’s remarks, with spokesperson Habibu Sale Mohammed Mailemo saying millions of Nigerians and northern citizens were disappointed by the comments. The statement described Sheriff’s position as reflective of a patronising attitude toward northern voters, treating them as a bloc to be controlled rather than independent citizens capable of making their own electoral decisions.

Kwankwaso added that Sheriff should focus on the security and humanitarian challenges confronting his home state of Borno rather than making what he described as divisive remarks about national political outcomes. He said the OK ticket, combining Obi and Kwankwaso in the NDC platform, represented the best opportunity for Nigerians to reset the country and place it on a path of competence, unity, and progress.

Sheriff’s Remarks Reflect Intra-Northern Political Tensions

Analysts said Sheriff’s comments were part of a broader northern political establishment effort to discourage cross-ethnic and cross-regional coalition-building that could disrupt existing power-sharing arrangements benefiting older political networks. Furthermore, the Kwankwasiyya response confirmed that the OK ticket was being actively built as a northern-friendly opposition platform, with Kwankwaso’s personal network in Kano serving as a critical organisational anchor. Notably, Obi received approximately 2.8 million votes in the north in 2023 despite the challenging environment for a southern presidential candidate. Consequently, the Sheriff-Kwankwaso exchange marks an opening salvo in what will be an intense northern political battle heading into the 2027 campaign.