Friday 18th, Sep; 2026

By Editor

Perhaps I am looking at this differently from some people, but I think Kano needs to start asking a very simple question: Why are we seeing political materials presenting H.E Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as Vice President without adequately presenting Peter Obi, the actual presidential candidate? 

Before anyone misunderstands me, I am not saying every NDC poster in Kano does this. I am talking about the materials I have personally come across, and I think what they communicate deserves discussion. H.E Peter Obi is the presidential candidate, while Kwankwaso is the running mate. That is the ticket. Obi himself announced Kwankwaso as his running mate after emerging as the NDC presidential candidate. 

So why should we pretend that it is normal when political messaging at the grassroots begins to project the vice-presidential candidate almost as though he were the principal candidate? There may be an innocent explanation. Perhaps it is simply a strategy to appeal to Kano's strong Kwankwasiyya base. Perhaps those producing the posters believe Kwankwaso's name and image are more electorally useful in Kano. But if that is the strategy, then we should be honest enough to discuss what it means. 

Political posters are not decoration. They are political communication. What you choose to put on a poster, what you make prominent and what you leave out are all deliberate decisions. That is why I find it difficult to understand the argument that we should simply ignore the omission of Peter Obi or treat it as insignificant. 

If the Obi-Kwankwaso project is genuinely about building a national political movement around both men, then Nigerians should be able to see both men and clearly understand the relationship between their roles. Otherwise, what exactly are we selling to Kano: an Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, or a Kwankwaso political project that happens to have Peter Obi at the top of the ballot? That distinction matters. 

We have already seen how political messaging can shape what voters understand, and we have also seen the intensity of the reaction to the ticket in Kano, including reports of Obi-Kwankwaso campaign posters being destroyed in Ungogo earlier this year. So no, I do not think we should pretend that the imagery and messaging surrounding this alliance are irrelevant. 

To be clear, I am not claiming that a poster proves Kwankwaso's private intentions. A poster cannot tell us what is happening inside a politician's mind or prove the motives behind an alliance. But political communication can tell us something about how a political organisation wants an alliance to be understood at the grassroots. That alone makes it worth watching and discussing. 

After all, politics is not only about what politicians say at press conferences. Sometimes, it is also about what their posters say when nobody is standing behind a microphone. 

Should we talk about the omission of H.E Peter Obi ? 

Or should we act like it is normal? 

#NigeriaDecides2027

Nworisa Michael is the coordinator of Inter-tribe Community Support Forum-ICSF and writes from nworisamichael1917@gmail.com