The vice-presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the composition of its Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general election.
Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, said the composition of the council gives Nigerians an opportunity to assess the kind of leadership the ruling party is offering ahead of the election.
In a statement posted on his verified X handle, @KwanKwasoRM, on Sunday, Kwankwaso argued that the council comprises many political actors who have supported, defended or participated in the current administration.
He questioned whether the APC was seeking a fresh mandate based on a new direction or asking Nigerians to endorse a continuation of the existing system.
“The council brings together many of the same political actors who have supported, defended or participated in the present administration,” he said.
Kwankwaso described the 2027 election as a contest between what he called “the oppressed Nigerian masses” and those who have benefited from or sustained a system he accused of worsening the hardship facing citizens.
He cited rising food and living costs, unemployment, insecurity, and declining economic opportunities as major challenges confronting Nigerians.
According to him, farmers and businesses are struggling, while millions of Nigerians continue to face insecurity and pressure on their livelihoods.
He also expressed concern about the state of education, healthcare and other essential public services, which he said remain under significant pressure.
Kwankwaso urged Nigerians to use the 2027 election to demand what he described as accountable and people-centred governance.
He further characterised the APC campaign structure as another contest between “the oppressors and the oppressed,” while urging Nigerians nationwide to actively participate in determining the country’s political direction.
“If Osun people can do it, so can all other parts of the country,” he said.
The former Kano governor also appealed to former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, to reconsider his decision to serve as Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Kwankwaso said Yari, as a former governor and prominent political figure from the North-West, understood the challenges facing communities in the region, including insecurity, poverty, unemployment, displacement and the destruction of livelihoods.
“I therefore will be surprised if, in his good conscience, he will lead a campaign whose principal objective is to secure the continuation of a government under which many of the people he once governed, and other innocent Nigerians, remain trapped in these challenges,” he said.
The comments come as political parties and their supporters intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with competing camps increasingly presenting contrasting narratives on the performance of the Tinubu administration and the direction Nigeria should take.
