Former Kano State Governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has revealed that even within his own household there were strong calls for a political alliance with Peter Obi during the 2023 general elections, but he turned it down, citing sentiment.
Speaking in an interview on AriseNews monitored by The News Chronicle Kwankwaso said the push for a united opposition ticket was not only coming from political circles but also from younger Nigerians, including his own daughter, who reportedly urged him to work with Obi despite not identifying as “Obidient.”
He admitted the decision not to align with Obi remains one of the emotional undercurrents of the last election cycle, even as it sparked renewed debate online about what might have been.
“So many things have changed in this country… Even in my own house, my daughter was telling me to go and work with Peter Obi. She didn’t say she was Obidient, but she felt we should come together. I refused out of sentiment,” Kwankwaso said.
The former governor also used the moment to highlight what he described as a widening generational gap in Nigerian politics, arguing that many older politicians, including himself and figures like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, are increasingly out of touch with the political thinking of younger Nigerians.
According to him, while older political actors remain fixated on ethnicity and religion, younger voters are more focused on competence, unity, and leadership quality.
Kwankwaso’s remarks have since triggered fresh reactions across social media, with many Nigerians pointing to his revelation as evidence of a missed opportunity for opposition unity in 2023.
Others described his admission as unusually candid, especially his acknowledgment that even close family members believed a Kwankwaso–Obi alliance could have significantly altered the political outcome.
