By AnchorNews Media

ABUJA - Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has warned political parties against assuming that control of more than 30 states will automatically guarantee victory in the 2027 general elections.

Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, spoke on Thursday at the NDC Town Hall Meeting in Rivers State, where he argued that the number of governors controlled by a political party does not necessarily translate into electoral success.

According to him, previous elections have demonstrated that an incumbent government can be defeated despite controlling a large number of states. He therefore cautioned politicians who believe that having more than 30 governors puts them beyond electoral defeat.

“The sitting president lost the election. I’m giving you an example, especially those who think because they have over 30 governors, they cannot lose the election. That is a very big mistake,” Kwankwaso said.

The NDC candidate also predicted that some governors, particularly in the northern part of the country, could face difficulties campaigning for their parties because of what he described as poor performance in office.

He said the political trend showed that governors whose administrations had performed poorly could find it difficult to secure public support during the 2027 campaign season.

Kwankwaso further criticised the management of public resources by state governors and the Federal Government. He questioned whether the increased revenues accruing to governments in recent years had translated into corresponding improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

Recalling his experience as governor in 1999, he said states and local governments received about N4 billion each at the time. He contrasted this with the significantly higher revenues being received by governments in recent years.

The former Kano governor claimed that the government had collected more than N1.11 trillion within less than a year, but questioned the impact of such revenues, alleging that little had been achieved with the funds.

He also linked what he described as poor governance to growing public anger across the country, identifying insecurity as another major concern, particularly in northern Nigeria.

“And people are very angry. And this anger is bad, and worse is the issue of insecurity, especially in northern Nigeria,” he said.

Kwankwaso’s remarks come as political parties and potential presidential contenders intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with control of state structures expected to remain an important factor in the emerging political contest.