Kwankwaso Invokes Azikiwe, Ekwueme, Ojukwu To Push New North/South-East Alliance, Says Nigeria Must Choose Unity Over Division

• Kwankwaso calls for renewed political cooperation between Northern Nigeria and the South-East ahead of the 2027 general election.

• Former Kano governor says reconciliation after the Civil War remains a model for building national unity and inclusive governance.

• Recalls alliances involving Azikiwe, Shagari, Ekwueme and Ojukwu as evidence that cooperation across regions has strengthened Nigeria before.

• Insists partnership with the South-East is not aimed at isolating any region, stressing that national Politics requires broad-based collaboration.

July 15, () — The 2027 vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has invoked the legacies of Nigeria’s foremost political figures, including Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the late Dr Alex Ekwueme and the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to advocate a renewed political alliance between Northern Nigeria and the South-East, declaring that the country must choose unity over division ahead of the 2027 general election.

Kwankwaso made the remarks during an interview with BBC Igbo published on the broadcaster’s Facebook page on Wednesday, where he urged Nigerians to embrace forgiveness, reconciliation and inclusive Politics, arguing that the country’s political future depends on rebuilding bridges across regional and ethnic divides.

The former Kano State governor said the North and the South-East share a longstanding political relationship that predates Nigeria’s current democratic era, adding that history offers important lessons for leaders seeking to build a united nation.

“We have to forgive ourselves. We have to work together as a family. South-East has been our ally, our friends, over the years”, Kwankwaso said.

Historic Alliances

Reflecting on Nigeria’s First Republic, Kwankwaso recalled that the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), the dominant political party in the North, entered into a political alliance with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), led by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.

He said the partnership demonstrated the foresight of the country’s founding political leaders, who prioritised national cohesion over sectional interests.

According to him, similar collaboration continued during the Second Republic under President Shehu Shagari, whose administration worked closely with political leaders from the South-East.

“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 northern political party, had an alliance with the NCNC, headed by Nnamdi Azikiwe. Even the Second Republic, you could see our leaders, Shagari and co, of course, went coincidentally to the Southeast and even Anambra State, even Azikiwe himself from Anambra State, and so on and so forth. So our leaders had foresight”, he stated.

Kwankwaso said the period following the Nigerian Civil War remains one of the strongest examples of national reconciliation, noting that political leaders deliberately pursued unity rather than retaliation.

He recalled that when democratic rule returned in 1979, the country’s leaders worked to integrate the South-East into national Politics, leading to the emergence of the late Dr Alex Ekwueme as Vice President.

“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.’

“Our leaders of the First Republic worked together with them, and that’s how they brought Alex Ekwueme to be the Vice President”, he said.

The former governor described Ekwueme as a trusted friend of Northern Nigeria and recalled attending his burial in Oko, Anambra State.

“I went to Oko, the hometown. I was there during Alex Ekwueme’s burial. Throughout his life, he was our friend. It’s only that democracy was truncated”, he added.

Kwankwaso also pointed to the return of the late Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, from exile as another demonstration of political maturity and reconciliation.

According to him, leaders of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), despite Ojukwu’s role during the Civil War, encouraged his return to Nigeria and participation in democratic Politics.

“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. We cannot be in the same country and start fighting. We have to have the spirit of forgiveness, whoever offended the other. It depends on who is giving the story”, he noted.

“No Region Can Govern Nigeria Alone”

Kwankwaso maintained that closer political cooperation between the North and the South-East should not be interpreted as opposition to any other part of the country.

He stressed that Nigeria’s diversity makes broad-based alliances indispensable, arguing that no political movement can successfully govern the country based on religion, ethnicity or regional identity alone.

“We are so happy that we in the North have decided to go back to history to work with the Southeast. That’s not to say we are fighting the South-West or any zone in this country. No, we are all friends. You can’t play Politics in this country alone—Politics of Muslims, or Christians, or North, or South—not at this level”, he stated.

Kwankwaso’s comments come as political realignments and coalition talks gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, with the former Kano governor serving as the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress alongside the party’s presidential candidate, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi.