KANO — In a fierce, unscripted address that has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s political establishment, the National Leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has vehemently denied rumors linking him to an underground working arrangement with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking on Thursday at his high-security Miller Road residence in Kano before thousands of chanting, red-capped supporters, the former Minister of Defence did not mince words. He characterized the narrative that he is a “trojan horse” planted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilize the newly unified opposition as a desperate fabrication.
“I have heard the whispered lies being peddled by political jobbers in Abuja,” Kwankwaso stated, his voice echoing across the courtyard. “They are spreading rumors that Kwankwaso is secretly working to clear a path for Tinubu in the North. Let me say this clearly: only fools will believe I am working for Tinubu. We are building a fortress to rescue this country, not a footstool for the ruling party.”
The Roots of Suspicion
The rumors of a secret pact have hung over Kwankwaso like a shadow ever since his closed-door meetings with President Tinubu shortly after the 2023 elections. The suspicion intensified following the recent, highly volatile dissolution of his leadership over the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and his subsequent structural migration to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Critics within alternative opposition factions had accused Kwankwaso of intentionally fracturing the NNPP to isolate Northern votes, a move that would theoretically favor the incumbent administration’s regional calculus.
However, Kwankwaso used the Kano rally to reframe those past interactions as historical engagements rather than current alignments. While acknowledging his long-standing personal relationship with Tinubu—dating back to their joint service in the National Assembly in 1992—he insisted that personal respect would never supersede his structural commitment to unseating the APC.
The OK Movement and the Southern Alliance
A significant portion of the address was dedicated to solidifying his partnership with former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi. The burgeoning alliance, colloquially dubbed the OK Movement (Obi-Kwankwaso), has rapidly emerged as the most formidable threat to the APC’s re-election machine.
“Our destination is fixed,” Kwankwaso told the crowd. “Our movement to the NDC is not an individual journey; it is an institutional merger. We are pairing the disciplined grassroots energy of the North with the vibrant, reformist aspirations of the South. Those who fear this unity are the ones inventing stories of secret deals.”
The address has effectively drawn a line in the sand. By utilizing such harsh, definitive language, Kwankwaso has signaled to his base that the time for elite political diplomacy is over, setting the stage for an aggressive, uncompromised campaign season.
