Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, says his party is willing to form alliances with President Bola Tinubu, former President Goodluck Jonathan, Peter Obi, and other political figures ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, the former Kano State governor said Nigerians are now more politically aware and eager for real change, noting that the next election will be highly competitive.

“I believe the 2027 elections will be much tougher. People are more informed and more determined. Thanks to radio and social media, voters are now aware of their rights. You may witness things that have never happened before in Nigeria’s politics,” Kwankwaso said.

“This time, people will not sell their votes — they want genuine change.”

Kwankwaso explained that the NNPP is open to partnering with any political group or leader who shares the party’s vision for a prosperous and secure Nigeria, stressing that any alliance must be based on mutual respect and shared values.

“We’re ready for anyone, the APC, PDP, ADC, Jonathan, or Peter Obi, provided they are competent and have integrity. But whoever we work with must be committed to improving the lives of Nigerians,” he said.

“If they fail to meet our expectations, we will not continue with them.”

He added that the NNPP, which fielded candidates across all 36 states in the 2023 elections, has become a national political force capable of shaping Nigeria’s future.

Kwankwaso also reiterated his earlier comments on possible collaboration with the All Progressives Congress (APC), but maintained that such an alliance must come with clear benefits for the NNPP’s members and structures.

“If we are to join the APC, they must tell us what NNPP will gain. We have full structures nationwide, what will be offered to our candidates and supporters?” he queried.

The former Minister of Defence criticized Nigeria’s political elite for their disconnect from ordinary citizens, accusing them of enriching themselves while the masses suffer from insecurity and poverty.

“Our people are being killed in Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Kaduna, yet the elites live comfortably in Abuja, building mansions, driving luxury cars, and ignoring the suffering of the poor,” Kwankwaso said.

“They behave as if they are untouchable, but I believe Allah will judge them.”

Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh and former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, have credited the late media mogul, Raymond Dokpesi, with playing a decisive role in thwarting former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s third-term agenda.

The duo spoke in Abuja at the 2nd Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi Diamond Lecture, jointly organised by DAAR Communications and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), themed “Communication and Development.”

Momoh recalled that during the controversial bid to amend the Constitution to allow Obasanjo a third term, Dokpesi used a mix of personal persuasion and media influence to mobilise opposition and defend democracy.

“Many have taken credit for stopping the third term, but Dokpesi deserves special recognition,” Momoh said.

“As a lawmaker then, I remember him calling me personally, saying, ‘You are my brother. Work with your people to make sure it doesn’t succeed.’”

He explained that the AIT and Raypower FM founder quietly reached out to legislators, warning them of the dangers of constitutional manipulation and urging resistance against the plan.

Oshiomhole, who now represents Edo North in the Senate, recounted that Dokpesi made his media platforms freely available for open debate, enabling lawmakers and citizens to discuss the issue transparently.

“Dokpesi used his station to promote national dialogue, not to attack the country,” Oshiomhole said.

“AIT broadcast National Assembly sessions live, allowing Nigerians to hold their representatives accountable. That transparency helped stop the third-term bid.”

He noted that Dokpesi’s approach demonstrated how media could serve national interest, not partisanship.

“My only complaint, which I told him before his passing, was that he gave his station to a political party that didn’t reciprocate his loyalty,” Oshiomhole added.

Also speaking, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule praised Dokpesi’s integrity and lamented what he described as rising sycophancy in Nigerian politics, where leaders face flattery in public but criticism in private.

President of the NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, described Dokpesi as a visionary and pathfinder who democratized access to information and gave voice to ordinary Nigerians.

“For Dr. Dokpesi, communication was not just about media; it was about meaning, connecting truth to people, citizens to leaders, and nations to the world,” Neliaku said.

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the North-West zone have distanced themselves from the reported endorsement of former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), as the region’s consensus candidate for the party’s national chairmanship ahead of the November convention.

At a press briefing in Abuja, the PDP’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, speaking on behalf of stakeholders from the zone, dismissed the endorsement as unilateral and illegitimate.

Earlier in the week, the Chairman of the PDP National Convention Organising Committee and Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, had announced that Turaki was adopted as the consensus choice of northern leaders and governors.

However, he noted that any aspirant dissatisfied with the decision was still free to contest.

Bature, however, stated that the North-West had not held any meeting to arrive at such a decision, stressing that the region would soon present its own preferred candidate.

“The North-West has not met to agree on that position. We are the zone to which the national chairmanship has been zoned, and it is unfair for others to decide for us,” Umar Bature, PDP National Organising Secretary.

He emphasized that consensus decisions must arise from consultation and inclusion, not unilateral declarations.

“Consensus is made through consultation. We were neither consulted nor carried along before the announcement,” he said.

Bature also accused certain party leaders of sidelining key stakeholders from the North-West, warning that the region would resist any attempt at imposition.

“We believe we are the strongest zone in the PDP. The attitude of our leaders made us take this position. We disagree with the governors’ endorsement, and we will nominate our own candidate,” he added.

Among those present at the briefing were former National Secretary Ibrahim Tsauri, Mustapha Lamido (son of former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido), Isah Ashiru Kudan (the PDP’s 2023 Kaduna governorship candidate), and several other zonal leaders.

At its 102nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in August, the PDP had zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South and the national chairmanship to the North, which was later micro-zoned to the North-West.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he declined to endorse former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai as his successor when leaving office in 2007.

El-Rufai served under Obasanjo first as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 2003 to 2007. At the end of Obasanjo’s tenure, he instead backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Speaking in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform symposium themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance,” Obasanjo revealed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had pushed for El-Rufai as his successor.

“He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor,” Obasanjo said, addressing Chidoka directly.

Obasanjo explained his decision to decline the recommendation: “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he [Chidoka] said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?”

He added that years later, Chidoka acknowledged Obasanjo was right.

Despite rejecting the recommendation, Obasanjo praised Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other officials for their “special attributes,” which he credited as driving forces of his administration.

On the symposium’s theme, Obasanjo stressed that character, exposure, experience, and proper training define effective leadership.

“It’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. That’s not good enough,” he noted.

Delivering the keynote address, Chidoka criticized the culture of excuses in Nigerian politics.

“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind. Moral conviction must translate into the everyday machinery of governance, rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult,” he said.

He urged accountability through national dashboards, strong institutions, and regular performance tracking.

The convener of the symposium, Aare Olanrewaju Bakinson, emphasized the importance of ethical leadership and governance in shaping society.

Among the attendees were Senator Shuaibu Salis (Ogun Central), the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege; and former Ogun First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun.