Why Kwankwaso should consider becoming Peter Obi's running mate [Editor's Opinion]

The knotty issue that halted the conversation of the planned alliance was arriving at a final decision on who will be the presidential candidate and who will be the vice presidential candidate between Obi and Kwankwaso.

Obi and Kwankwaso are former governors of Anambra and Kano State respectively. Both of them served their states for eight years and they command a cult-like following in their regions.

While Obi, the presidential candidate of the LP is a prominent political name in the South, the followers of Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the NNPP spread beyond Kano, his base, to other Northern states.

But as far as Nigerian politics is concerned, both the LP and the NNPP are fringe parties with a blur political structure and baby financial muscle to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP established in 1998, had ruled the country for 16 years before the APC formed in 2014 unseated Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP government in 2015.

However, even Kwankwaso had recognized that an alliance between LP and NNPP would floor the bigger parties.

With Obi being a strong force in the south, as well as having sparring support groups in the North via online mobilization efforts, it can be argued that he may have a wider range of followers. However, Obi needs a very strong support in the north to guarantee him massive voter turnout in the region.

Yesterday Kwankwaso took his campaign to the south for the first time. However, both himself and his party suffer gross unpopularity in the region. Kwankwaso is also just gaining more popularity among the online audience (Obi's stronghold) after shocking many Nigerians with his not-so-obvious brilliance at the Arise Presidential Town Hall.

It is only three months to elections and neither Kwankwaso nor Obi has well penetrated their opposite regions. Hence, revisiting the conversation of an alliance becomes imperative. But this time, this author suggests that Kwankwaso bows to an Obi presidency, while he marks time for eight years as vice president.

The major backings for this reasoning are; Obi, arguably, has a wider spread support group (across region, tribe, and religion), and power deserves to touch the South after eight years with President Muhammadu Buhari. Kwankwaso would be in a more advantageous position to contest presidency, from the seat of the vice president in 2031; at least then we would be ready for power to shift back to the North.

Pulse Editor's Opinion is the viewpoint of an editor at Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the organisation Pulse.