Rabiu Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), says the APC’s control of more than 30 states will not guarantee President Bola Tinubu victory in 2027.
He made the comment on Thursday, 3 September 2026, at an NDC town hall in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, alongside presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Kwankwaso pointed to 2015, when then-President Goodluck Jonathan lost re-election to Muhammadu Buhari even though the PDP controlled about 20 states. Jonathan won 15 states plus the FCT; Buhari won 21.
“Jonathan was the sitting president and he lost the election. Those who think that because they have over 30 governors they cannot lose are making a very big mistake,” he said.
He argued that many current governors, especially in the North, have performed poorly and would struggle to campaign. According to him, the pattern is that those governors and their party “have performed woefully to the extent that it is very difficult for them even to come out and campaign… from top to bottom, they did absolutely nothing.”
Kwankwaso also questioned how large recent revenues had translated into development. He recalled much smaller allocations to states and local governments when he was governor in 1999, contrasting that with reports of over ₦1.11 trillion collected in less than a year more recently. “You go around, what have you done with that money? Close to nothing,” he said.
He further recalled his own 2003 defeat as incumbent Kano governor despite having federal and state structures behind him, saying incumbency and political machinery are not enough when voters are dissatisfied.
APC currently controls around 31 states. A government response described the remarks as empty rhetoric, noted that Buhari won re-election as sitting president, and argued that the NDC lacks candidates in many constituencies.
