Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential running mate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has dismissed the suggestion that the number of governors backing the All Progressives Congress, APC, will guarantee President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the 2027 presidential election.
Kwankwaso argued that having more than 30 governors on the APC platform would not automatically translate into electoral success for Tinubu, insisting that voters could still reject a sitting president despite the political strength of the ruling party across the states.
The former Kano State governor made the remarks on Thursday during a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he challenged the assumption that the number of governors controlled by a political party determines the outcome of a presidential election.
Kwankwaso Recalls Jonathan’s Defeat
Kwankwaso pointed to the experience of former President Goodluck Jonathan as an example of why political control at the state level should not be treated as a guarantee of victory at the federal level.
He recalled that Jonathan contested for re-election as a sitting president but ultimately lost, arguing that the outcome demonstrated that incumbency and political structures alone could not determine the choice of Nigerian voters.
“Jonathan was the sitting president, and he lost the election. Those who think that because they have more than 30 governors, they cannot lose are making a very big mistake,” Kwankwaso said.
The NDC presidential running mate used the example to warn those who believe the APC’s control of more than 30 states gives Tinubu an assured path to victory in 2027.
According to him, the number of governors supporting a presidential candidate should not be interpreted as evidence that the electorate will necessarily support the same candidate at the polls.
‘Governors Have Performed Woefully’
Kwankwaso also criticised the performance of the APC governors, claiming that many of them would struggle to campaign openly because of what he described as poor performance in their respective states.
He argued that the political strength of the governors could be weakened by the way their administrations are perceived by residents.
“The trend is that those governors and their parties have performed woefully,” he said.
Kwankwaso further claimed that the record of the governors would become an important issue as political campaigns intensify ahead of the 2027 election.
He said it would be difficult for many of them to campaign effectively because, in his assessment, their administrations had failed to deliver meaningful results.
“It is difficult for many of them to even come out and campaign because, from top to bottom, they did absolutely nothing,” he added.
2027 Election
The former Kano governor’s remarks were centred on the argument that political structures alone cannot determine the outcome of the 2027 presidential contest.
While the APC may have a large number of governors on its platform, Kwankwaso maintained that the electorate ultimately retains the power to determine who wins at the ballot box.
His reference to Jonathan’s defeat was intended to reinforce that position, with the NDC presidential running mate arguing that even a sitting president can lose an election despite the advantages associated with occupying the presidency.
Kwankwaso therefore dismissed the assumption that the APC’s numerical strength among state governors would make a Tinubu victory inevitable.
He also linked the governors’ ability to support the president’s re-election campaign to their individual records in office, alleging that their performance could make campaigning difficult for some of them.
As preparations for the 2027 election develop, Kwankwaso’s comments place emphasis on the difference between political control and electoral acceptance. His position is that the presence of more than 30 APC governors cannot by itself guarantee the president another term.
For the NDC presidential running mate, the experience of Jonathan remains an important reminder that incumbency and political structures do not eliminate the possibility of electoral defeat.
Kwankwaso said those relying on the APC’s number of governors to assume that Tinubu cannot lose in 2027 are making a serious mistake, arguing that the performance of the governors and their parties would also shape the political contest.
2027: ‘Jonathan Lost as Sitting President, 30 APC Governors Can’t Save Tinubu’ — Kwankwaso
