A prominent supporter of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Hamma Hayatu, has dismissed speculation that former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, could emerge as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 general election.
Hayatu, who is one of Atiku’s most vocal allies on social media, urged Kwankwaso to abandon any alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and instead defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he could pursue a senatorial seat with a long-term ambition of becoming Senate President.
In a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, Hayatu described as unrealistic reports suggesting that Kwankwaso might dump the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the APC ahead of the next presidential election.
There have been growing political speculations that Kwankwaso, the NNPP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, could align with the APC if President Tinubu decides to replace Vice President Kashim Shettima in 2027. Some political watchers have floated Kwankwaso’s name as a possible northern running mate should Tinubu seek re-election.
However, Hayatu flatly ruled out that possibility.
“Tinubu will never make Kwankwaso his running mate for 2027,” Hayatu wrote. “He should rather defect to ADC and contest to be Senator on his way to be Senate President under the Atiku/Obi government. The above is easily doable.”
Kwankwaso, a former defence minister and two-term governor of Kano State, commands a strong political following in Kano and parts of the North-West through the Kwankwasiyya movement.
His NNPP finished a distant fourth in the 2023 presidential election but made a major impact in Kano by winning the governorship and most legislative seats.
The ADC has recently emerged as a platform being discussed by opposition figures seeking to build a broad coalition ahead of 2027.
Both Atiku, who came second in the 2023 presidential election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform and Labour Party’s Peter Obi that clinched third spot have both joined the ADC.
While Kwankwaso has not publicly confirmed plans to defect from the NNPP or align with any coalition, his next political move is widely seen as critical to the calculations of both the ruling party and the opposition as Nigeria edges closer to another election cycle.
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