ABUJA – Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Right Honourable Alhassan Ado Doguwa, has responded sharply to remarks made by the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, concerning the 2027 elections.
Kwankwaso, during a recent political gathering in Kano, predicted that Nigerians, particularly in the North, are ready to oust the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power in 2027.
In a statement, Doguwa, a ranking member of the House of Representatives, dismissed Kwankwaso’s assertions as “hallucinations,” suggesting that the NNPP leader is yet to recover from his defeat in the 2023 presidential race, which saw President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerge victorious. According to Doguwa, Kwankwaso’s political influence is waning, and he should prepare for an eventual exit from the political scene.
“Kwankwaso is clearly hallucinating when he says Nigerians are tired of the APC and will change it in 2027. Since taking office, President Tinubu has been laying a solid foundation for Nigeria’s prosperity,” Doguwa remarked.
He further emphasized that President Tinubu has taken significant steps to restore economic stability and improve the nation’s fortunes since his inauguration in May 2023.
Doguwa pointed to the president’s success in attracting over $30 billion in foreign direct investments within just 16 months and tackling Nigeria’s inherited fiscal challenges, including settling a $7 billion forex backlog and addressing over N30 trillion in inherited debt.
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“President Tinubu reduced the debt service ratio from 97% to 68% and maintained our foreign reserves at $37 billion,” Doguwa added.
On security, Doguwa praised the administration’s efforts in combating terrorism and banditry, noting that over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders, including notorious figures like Kachalla Halilu Sububu, have been eliminated.
These efforts, he said, have led to increased safety in the North West, with farmers returning to their fields and the region now poised for a bumper harvest.
Doguwa also took aim at Kwankwaso’s influence in Kano, accusing the former governor of remote-controlling the NNPP-led government under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
He claimed the NNPP has “pauperized” the people of Kano, leading to mass defections to the APC. “No matter the noise Kwankwaso makes, the APC in Kano is already poised to unseat the kangaroo NNPP government in 2027,” Doguwa declared.
The lawmaker concluded by urging Kwankwaso to focus on his own political retirement rather than making unfounded claims about the APC’s future.
