Rabiu Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has said the North and South-East geopolitical zones share a long political bond that should be strengthened in the interest of national unity.
Kwankwaso, who is running with Peter Obi for the 2027 presidential election, stated this in an interview published by BBC Igbo on Wednesday.
The former Kano State governor said Nigeria’s political history shows that reconciliation, forgiveness and inclusion remain essential to building a united country after the civil war.
“We have to forgive ourselves. We have to work together as a family. South-East has been our ally, our friends, over the years,” he said.
Kwankwaso recalled that during the First Republic, the Northern People’s Congress, which was largely a northern political party, entered into an alliance with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, led by prominent South-East leaders, including Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
He said the alliance showed that past leaders had the foresight to build political bridges across regions.
“During our own time, or the time of our fathers, grandfathers in politics in the First Republic you could see the NPC then, which is mainly a northern political party, had an alliance with the NCNC, headed by Nnamdi Azikiwe,” he said.
Kwankwaso also cited the Second Republic, noting that leaders of the National Party of Nigeria, including former President Shehu Shagari, worked closely with politicians from the South-East.
He said that after the civil war ended in 1970, political leaders demonstrated reconciliation by involving the South-East in national politics when democracy returned in 1979.
According to him, that spirit of forgiveness and inclusion led to the emergence of Dr Alex Ekwueme from Anambra State as Vice President under Shagari.
“The civil war was finished in 1970. In 1978 and 1979, when democracy came back, the first thing they said was, ‘Look, they are not our enemies. Let’s prove to them. Let’s bring them. Let’s work together,’” he said.
“Our leaders of the First Republic worked together with them, and that’s how they brought Alex Ekwueme to be the Vice President.”
Kwankwaso described Ekwueme as a friend of the North, recalling that he attended the former Vice President’s burial in Oko, Anambra State.
He also referred to the return of former Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, from exile and his participation in politics during the Second Republic.
Kwankwaso said the decision by the NPN to welcome Ojukwu back and allow him to contest for a Senate seat reflected the willingness of past leaders to forgive and move the country forward.
“The NPN, a mainly northern party, had to invite Ojukwu to come back. He came back, contested for a Senate seat and lost. But despite the fact that he was the leader of Biafra at that particular time, our leaders decided to forgive themselves and forge ahead,” he said.
He argued that Nigerians cannot continue to live in the same country while fighting one another, stressing that political leadership requires maturity, forgiveness and cooperation.
Kwankwaso said the renewed political understanding between the North and South-East should not be interpreted as hostility toward the South-West or any other region.
He maintained that all geopolitical zones remain important to Nigeria’s political stability.
“We are so happy that we in the North have decided to go back to history to work with the South-East. That’s not to say we are fighting the South-West or any zone in this country. No, we are all friends,” he said.
He added that no group can successfully play national politics alone, warning against politics built solely around religion or region.
“You can’t play politics in this country alone politics of Muslims, or Christians, or North, or South not at this level,” Kwankwaso said.
Kwankwaso, a northerner from Kano State, is the running mate to Peter Obi, a South-Easterner from Anambra State, in the 2027 presidential election.
