Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has cautioned the ruling political establishment against assuming that control of more than 30 state governments would guarantee victory in the 2027 general election.

Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, said political power at the state level does not automatically translate into electoral victory at the presidential level, stressing that voters ultimately determine the outcome of elections.

He spoke on Thursday at the NDC Town Hall Meeting in Rivers State, where he argued that poor performance by some governors, particularly in Northern Nigeria, could become a major liability for their parties ahead of the 2027 polls.

According to him, some governors may find it difficult to campaign for their parties because of growing dissatisfaction with their performance among constituents.

Kwankwaso said past elections had demonstrated that incumbents could be defeated despite wielding considerable political control across several states.

“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,” he said.

The NDC chieftain further predicted that some governors, especially those in the North, would struggle to secure public support for their parties because of what he described as poor governance and worsening conditions in their states.

“By the grace of God, all of them, especially the ones in the North, because I studied the trend. The trend is those governors and their party have performed woefully to the extent that it is very difficult for them even to come out and campaign,” he added.

Kwankwaso also turned his criticism to the management of public resources by state governments and the Federal Government, questioning the impact of increased revenues on ordinary Nigerians.

Recalling his experience as governor in 1999, he said state and local governments at the time received considerably less revenue, yet the present increase in government earnings had, in his view, not translated into commensurate development.

He claimed that governments had received substantial revenues in recent years without a corresponding improvement in the living conditions of citizens.

“Now in one year, we have seen it on social media that our government collected over N1.11tn, just less than one year. You go around, what have you done with that money? Close to nothing,” Kwankwaso said.

He said the alleged disconnect between government revenue and tangible improvements in citizens’ lives had fuelled public frustration across the country.

Kwankwaso identified insecurity as another major source of anger, particularly in Northern Nigeria, where communities continue to face attacks and other security challenges.

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