Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has described the 2027 general election as a battle between Nigerians and what he called “the oppressors,” urging citizens to unite beyond political party lines to rescue the country.

Kwankwaso made the declaration when he received a delegation of South-East leaders and stakeholders of the Kwankwaso National Network (KNN), led by the group’s South-East Zonal Coordinator, Dr Ukpai Iro Ukpai, at his residence in Maitama, Abuja.

Ukpai, who disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Umuahia, said the delegation visited the former Kano State governor to brief him on KNN’s activities and mobilisation efforts towards securing a landslide victory for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket in the South-East in 2027.

According to Ukpai, Kwankwaso said the growing dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country had created a strong desire among Nigerians for a political reset.

He reportedly urged Nigerians to view the 2027 election as a decisive choice about the future of the country rather than merely a contest between political parties.

“It is not about me, it is about us,” Kwankwaso was quoted as saying, while urging KNN members and supporters of the alliance to remain committed to the struggle beyond the 2027 election.

The former Kano governor also reportedly said the outcome of the recent Osun governorship election showed that votes could count in 2027 if Nigerians remained resolute in defending their mandates.

He urged citizens to reject electoral fraud and vote-selling, stressing that no immediate personal gain was worth sacrificing the future of the country.

Kwankwaso, according to Ukpai, also directed KNN leaders to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the election.

In response, the South-East delegation pledged to work towards delivering at least five million votes for the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket across the region.

Ukpai said the delegation briefed Kwankwaso on the network’s structures, activities, challenges and mobilisation efforts across the South-East, particularly efforts to strengthen the alliance and consolidate grassroots support.

He said Kwankwaso expressed satisfaction with KNN’s growing activities, describing the network as one of the major support groups behind the political movement.

The former governor also recalled the historic political cooperation between the North and South-East, citing the Second Republic alliance between former President Shehu Shagari and Dr Alex Ekwueme.

“The North has always worked in alliance with the South, especially the South-East. President Shehu Shagari picked Dr Alex Ekwueme as his Vice. Today, what is most important, history is repeating itself,” he was quoted as saying.

Kwankwaso further described the NDC as the biggest opposition platform in the country and expressed confidence that its political strength would continue to expand.

He reportedly expressed concern over insecurity, poor infrastructure, unreliable electricity and water supply, declining educational standards and challenges in agriculture, insisting that Nigerians urgently needed a change of direction.

According to Ukpai, Kwankwaso also promised that education would receive priority under an Obi-Kwankwaso administration, while lamenting what he described as the continued neglect and deterioration of the sector.

Meanwhile, National Coordinator of KNN, Asiwaju Mashood Shitu, described the South-East delegation’s engagement with Kwankwaso as evidence of the network’s growing commitment across the country.

Shitu commended the level of mobilisation in the region, saying KNN had developed a grassroots structure capable of delivering victory in 2027.

“They are doing great. They are doing wonderful. It’s a visionary movement,” he was quoted as saying, describing the report from the South-East as evidence that “there is future in it.”

He added that the mobilisation was “a very big sign of victory ahead of 2027,” stressing that KNN would focus not only on winning votes but also on protecting the people’s mandates during the election.