Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS, Professor Usman Yusuf, has dismissed speculations that an alliance between Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso could pose a serious threat to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Yusuf stated this while speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme, where he analysed emerging political alignments ahead of the next general election.
According to him, although Kwankwaso could help Obi gain visibility in the North, the proposed coalition lacks the political strength to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Kwankwaso is the vehicle to sell Peter Obi to the North, but we have the record of what Peter Obi did to Northerners,” Yusuf said.
He maintained that discussions surrounding the alliance were being exaggerated, insisting that the partnership would not significantly affect the political equation ahead of 2027.
“Peter Obi and Kwankwaso can pitch their tent anywhere, but they won’t make a dent,” he stated.
Yusuf further argued that the former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, risks losing political relevance in the North if he aligns too closely with Obi.
Another political commentator, Professor Usman, also spoke on the opposition realignments, claiming that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar remained politically stronger than both Obi and Kwankwaso.
“Atiku was stronger than Obi and Kwankwaso, that’s why they ran away,” he said.
Yusuf also claimed that President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election was largely driven by Northern Muslim voters rather than support from the South-West alone.
“It wasn’t the Southwest that brought Tinubu to power, it was Northern Muslims, and they are now the ones he’s fighting,” he added.
