The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, agreed to serve only one four-year term if they win the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s “Politics Today”, the former Kano State governor said the agreement was backed by two written documents.
He explained that one was signed as an official party agreement, while the second was a personal pact between himself and Obi.
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Kwankwaso stated that the arrangement provides for the presidency to return to Northern Nigeria after the completion of an Obi administration in 2031.
He added that both agreements had been signed by the two politicians as well as the party leadership.
Responding to questions about whether Obi could later decide to seek another term, Kwankwaso said he had full confidence in his running mate.
He said his relationship with the former Anambra State governor had convinced him of Obi’s honesty and integrity, expressing confidence that both men would honour the agreement.
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Kwankwaso also said their alliance extends beyond politics, noting that their friendship and party relationship would remain intact after the presidency rotates back to the North in 2031.
The former defence minister stressed that the understanding was not designed to secure him the presidential ticket in 2031.
Instead, he said it was based on the principle of maintaining regional power rotation.However, the contents of the two agreements have not been released publicly or independently verified.
As a result, it remains unclear whether the documents contain provisions for enforcement, penalties for non-compliance, or guidelines on how the parties would choose a Northern presidential candidate in 2031.
Although Obi has previously spoken in favour of a single-term presidency, he has yet to publicly confirm or comment on the specific agreement described by Kwankwaso.
The reported pact represents a significant turnaround in the relationship between the two politicians, whose effort to form a joint presidential ticket before the 2023 general election eventually failed.
Obi contested that election on the Labour Party platform, while Kwankwaso flew the flag of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Negotiations between them broke down after they could not agree on who should emerge as the presidential candidate and who should settle for the vice-presidential position.
In the 2023 election, Obi finished third, while Kwankwaso came fourth after winning Kano State, the stronghold of his Kwankwassiya political movement.
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Looking back on their earlier differences, Kwankwaso said his opinion of Obi changed as he came to better understand his vision for Nigeria.
He described Obi as dependable and committed, adding that their shared ideas on governance and national development convinced them to work together, making the current alliance easier to achieve.
