A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has revealed that his daughter encouraged him to work with Peter Obi ahead of the 2023 general election.
Kwankwaso made the disclosure during an interview on Arise News on Monday, while speaking on what he described as the growing political consciousness among younger Nigerians.
According to him, the conversation with his daughter happened years before both politicians eventually aligned under the NDC platform.
“Even in the 2023 election, in my own house, my own daughter was telling me to go and work with Peter Obi. She didn’t say she was Obidient, but she wanted me to work together with him,” Kwankwaso stated.
The former presidential candidate said the experience reflected a broader political shift among Nigerian youths, noting that younger voters were increasingly looking beyond ethnicity and religion in choosing leaders.
Kwankwaso also argued that both the Kwankwasiyya movement and Obi’s support base cut across regional and social lines, contrary to popular political assumptions.
“You will be surprised, even in your house or anybody’s house in the south, there may be Kwankwasiyya people there,” he said, adding that many supporters often keep their political leanings private to avoid unnecessary tensions.
Speaking further, Kwankwaso maintained that many older politicians had failed to understand the changing mindset of younger Nigerians.
“People of their age, my age, or especially the age of Atiku, are very few in this country comparatively with the younger people. The younger people have their own way of thinking,” he added.
He stressed that young Nigerians were more interested in competent leadership than identity politics.
“People are talking of religion, people are talking of ethnicity. But the younger people are looking for the right leadership for this country, and I think they are absolutely right,” Kwankwaso said.
Recall that Kwankwaso and Obi officially joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress on May 3 after leaving the African Democratic Congress following internal disputes within the coalition.
