A political alliance between former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is already generating fresh conversations ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Although neither politician has officially emerged as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) yet, both men are seen as preferred candidates to contest against the ruling party and other strong opposition parties in the next election cycle.

Political observers believe the talks are largely driven by the electoral realities of the 2023 presidential election, where both candidates recorded impressive but regionally limited performances.

Obi secured more than six million votes nationwide under the Labour Party and won 11 states alongside the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). However, in the northern region, his victories were limited to Plateau and Nasarawa states, as well as the FCT, where he enjoyed considerable support.

Kwankwaso, who contested on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), won Kano State and secured nearly one million votes, reinforcing his influence in the North-West.

The proposed alliance is now raising questions about whether Kwankwaso’s northern political structure could help Obi improve his acceptance across the region in 2027.

Speaking with DAILY POST in an exclusive interview, political analyst and lecturer at the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Professor Murtala Muhammad, said Obi’s appeal in the North during the 2023 election was mostly concentrated among urban youths and citizens seeking alternatives to mainstream political parties.

“Peter Obi demonstrated some electoral strength in parts of Northern Nigeria during the 2023 presidential election, particularly in Abuja and among urban youths, middle-class voters, and citizens dissatisfied with the traditional political establishment,” he said.

According to him, electoral trends showed that Obi’s strongest support base remained outside the North.

“Electoral analyses estimated his northern vote share at roughly 14 per cent, compared to over 40 per cent in Southern Nigeria,” Muhammad stated.

He explained that while an alliance with Kwankwaso could strengthen Obi’s chances in Kano and parts of the North-West, it may not significantly alter the broader regional voting pattern.

“Although a potential alliance with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso could improve Obi’s competitiveness, particularly in Kano through the Kwankwasiyya movement, it does not automatically guarantee widespread northern support,” he added.

Muhammad argued that voting behaviour across most parts of the North-West is still heavily influenced by religion, regional identity, longstanding party loyalty, and local political interests.

“Consequently, many northern voters may still be reluctant to support Obi despite Kwankwaso’s endorsement, making it analytically inaccurate to assume that Kwankwaso’s northern identity alone can deliver the wider North-West voting bloc to Obi,” he said.

Also speaking on the development, Kano-based politician and State House of Assembly aspirant, Aminu Abdullahi Ibrahim, acknowledged that Obi has gained more visibility among northern youths since the last election.

“I believe Peter Obi has gained a level of popularity in parts of northern Nigeria, especially among young people, urban voters, Christians in the North-Central region, and Nigerians who are frustrated,” Ibrahim said.

He maintained, however, that Obi still faces stiff political limitations in the core North-West states, where established political structures remain dominant.

“His popularity in the core North-West, particularly in states like Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara, still remains limited when compared to established northern political figures such as Atiku Abubakar,” he added.

Despite those limitations, Ibrahim said a merger between both politicians could still create a stronger opposition platform than what existed during the 2023 election.

“That said, if Peter Obi and Kwankwaso eventually form a political alliance ahead of future elections, it could make a significant difference compared to 2023,” he stated.

According to him, any serious challenge in 2027 would depend on more than just popularity or online support.

“They require strong grassroots mobilization, party unity, trusted local structures, religious and ethnic balancing, and the ability to protect votes across polling units. Even if Obi and Kwankwaso work together, translating public excitement into nationwide electoral victory will still be a major challenge,” Ibrahim said.

As coalition discussions continue, analysts say the success of any Obi-Kwankwaso partnership may ultimately depend on whether both politicians can transform their individual regional strengths into a truly national political movement capable of competing across Nigeria’s diverse electoral landscape.

The founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, said South African authorities denied him entry because his visa expired a day before his arrival in 2025, while Europeans were reportedly allowed into the country without visas.

The business mogul disclosed his travel experience while speaking at the Africa CEO Forum titled “Africa at Scale: Capital, Policy, and the Architecture of Growth” on Thursday in Kigali.

The billionaire said he returned to Lagos after waiting at Cape Town airport for hours, noting the experience as part of the challenges faced by Africans in Africa.

“I had a personal experience. Last February, I was travelling to Cape Town for the Mining Indaba. And as we landed, I left at night from Lagos to Cape Town. We arrived at 6 in the morning.

“As we arrived, we went to immigration. I tendered my passport, and the immigration officer looked at it and asked, ‘Where is your visa?’ and I said, ‘My visa is there.’ Unknown to me, my visa had expired the day before.

“Unfortunately, our crew did not check the visa to ensure the visa was valid. We were there for four hours, but at the end of the day, I had to turn back. I was turned back to Lagos,” he said.

According to the BUA Group chairman, passengers from three international flights, most of whom were Europeans, were allowed into Cape Town without visas.

The businessman said he understood why he was denied entry, but noted that allowing foreigners from other continents into South Africa without visas while restricting Africans from entering did not sit well with him.

“But the issue is, while we were waiting to see whether we would be able to get access to the countries without visas, there were three international flights from Europe. All three flights were mostly Europeans.

“I was standing there by the immigration desk, and every passenger on those three flights went into Cape Town without any visa. I do not have a problem with the fact that I was there without the visa and I was returned. I took full responsibility for that,” he said.

“I had an issue with being an African in Africa, being turned away because I did not have a visa, while foreigners from other continents were coming in and were allowed to enter without a visa. This must change,” he said.

Lack of cooperation

Mr Rabiu said there is a lack of cooperation among African countries, which affects the movement of Africans and also frustrates business expansion from one country to another on the continent.

Giving another instance, he said some countries lack the spirit of agreement on the continent, noting that their practices were not supportive when the BUA Group tried to expand into those countries.

“At BUA Group, as we expanded our regional investment, we actively sought to supply several African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.

“While some countries embraced the spirit of agreement, others were less supportive in practice, with administrative barriers and legacy import structures limiting our ability to participate fully in regional trade.

“So really, AfCFTA is not working as it should. Because I had a personal experience in one of the countries that we tried to penetrate, we were actually frustrated,” he said.

The BUA Group chairman said the experience underscores a broader challenge facing Africa, noting that although the African Continental Free Trade Area framework was created to integrate African markets, implementation across the continent remains inconsistent.

According to him, true integration is what transforms potential into economic scale, with the AfCFTA serving as a key driver through its market of more than 1.4 billion people across 55 countries.

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He described the AfCFTA as one of the world’s most ambitious integration initiatives, stating that “its promise is clear: intra-Africa trade, regional value chains, and industrial scale that no single economy can achieve alone. Its potential does not deliver outcome, execution does.”

Africa’s transformation

Mr Rabiu said Africa’s next phase of transformation largely depends on five areas: capital, policy, infrastructure, value addition, and integration.

According to him, Africa needs capital to finance ambition, policy to enable execution, infrastructure as the foundation of growth, value addition to unlock the full value of its resources, and integration to unlock scale and fully drive its next phase of transformation.

“Let me start with capital. Across the continent, institutional capital is expanding—pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and increasingly sophisticated private investment vehicles, yet infrastructure financing remains far below potential.

“The reality is clear: Africa is not short of capital; it is short of coordinated, mobile capital deployed at scale. We must unlock cross-border capital flows, harmonise investment frameworks, strengthen project preparation, and expand risk-sharing mechanisms for both domestic and international investments.

“Deepening capital markets is equally critical; cross-border listings, interoperable settlement systems, and expanded local currency trade are not merely technical reforms; they are strategic infrastructure,” he said.

He said segmented legal frameworks, overlapping approvals, and inconsistent enforcement continue to raise the cost of investment across many regions in Africa, describing them as structural constraints on growth.

“What is required is clear and transparent rules, predictable enforcement, and coordinated industrial strategies across borders. Alignment does not compromise independence; rather, it strengthens economic performance,” he added.

He reiterated that infrastructure is important to Africa’s growth, noting that no economy can industrialise without systems that power growth, including reliable energy, efficient ports, modern rail networks, quality roads, and digital connectivity.