Why Kwankwaso May Reject Being Tinubu's Running Mate in 2027, Analyst

• President Bola Tinubu's possibility of dropping Vice President Kashim Shettima for NNPP leader Rabiu Kwankwaso in the 2027 election has been dismissed
• Omotayo Yusuf, a political commentator, gave the opinion while speaking in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, noting that Kwankwaso is a political powerhouse
• According to Yusuf, the Kwankwasiyyah's movement in the north is growing and being a running mate to Tinubu may hinder Kwankwaso's progress

The chances of Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), refusing to be running mate to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election have been projected.

Omotayo Yusuf, a political analyst, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, made the projection, citing the growing political empire of the former governor of Kano as a major reason for him to reject the move.

Yusuf's comment came amid the growing rumour that the leader of the Kwankwasiyyah Movement was planning to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was asking President Tinubu to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima and appoint him as his running mate in the 2027 election.

Read also

2027 election: 3 top northern politicians PDP may pick as vice presidential candidate, list emerges

While Kwankwaso alleged a planned movement to the APC has raised some dust within the ruling party, particularly about Shettima sacrificing his position, the NNPP leader recently denied the plan to dump the party for another.

Analyst breaks down Kwankwaso, Tinubu's possible alliance

Reacting to the development, Yusuf noted that the defection of Kwankwaso to the APC may not be a threat to Shettima's position, and the NNPP leader may reject the vice presidential slot because he considers himself a political powerhouse.

The analyst said:

"I don’t think the reported defection of Kwankwaso to the APC directly threatens Shettima’s position as the vice president and possibly running mate in 2027. This is because I don’t see Kwankwaso accepting being a running mate to Tinubu. That’s because at the moment, he considered himself a strong political power house in the north, and there is testimony to back this up, such as the Kwankwasiyyah Movement in Kano and a few states in the north.

Read also

Shettima vs Kwankwaso: Tinubu gets advice on who to pick as running mate ahead of 2027 elections

"The movement is not only strong but also growing. At the moment, his party, the NNPP, is he ruling party in Kano state; they won the bye-election. His political trajectory can only grow bigger in the region. So, sacrificing that for a vice president or running mate position is not going to be an astute political move, knowing Kwankwaso, he is not going to do that.

"If he joins the APC, it is because he sees how he can benefit from the party in the long run, but when he considers growing his own political dynasty, actually, we won’t see him leaving the party. It might just be a case of supporting the candidacy of the APC without necessarily defecting."

Anifowoshe speaks on Tinubu's chances in 2027

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu's chances in the 2027 election have been said to be of fortune, considering the current political climate in the country.

Read also

Kwankwaso makes cryptic comment about defection, video trends

Titilope Anifowoshe, a political commentator, made the prediction in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng.

Anifowoshe also predicted what could happen to the PDP, Labour Party and the coalition's bride, ADC, in the next cycle of elections in Nigeria.

Source: Legit.ng