Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has defended Peter Obi following remarks by former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff questioning the former Anambra governor’s support in Northern Nigeria.
In a post on his official X account on July 7, 2026, Kwankwaso rejected Sheriff’s claim that Northerners would not vote for Obi because he allegedly expelled them during his tenure as Anambra State governor.
Kwankwaso argued that Sheriff could not decide how Northerners would vote and pointed to Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election as evidence of his support in the region.
“For the record, in his first outing on the presidential ballot, Mr. Obi secured approximately 2.8 million votes in the region, a remarkable achievement that cannot be dismissed lightly,” Kwankwaso wrote.
He added that Obi is capable of performing strongly in the 2027 presidential election, countering Sheriff’s assessment of the former Labour Party presidential candidate’s prospects in the North.
