Former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso says Peter Obi, the former Labour Party presidential candidate, is a popular politician across Nigeria.

Mr Kwankwaso, in an interview with Trust TV on Sunday, said politics should not be based on religion or region, but on competence and political experience.

“Peter Obi will be from the South-East for whatever reason. Today, he is a very popular human being and a politician in the entire South and many parts of northern Nigeria,” he said.

He stated that nobody could take away Mr Obi’s popularity, adding that the Kwankwasiyya movement also enjoys widespread support across the country.

“We are lucky that our supporters are mainly young men and women who are looking for a way out. They are not looking for their brothers or sisters or somebody close,“ Mr Kwankwaso explained. “We supported him, bringing about two million votes for him, until he left. I don’t think he wanted to hear us in the villa. We are Northerners, we are Muslims, and everybody knows that.”

According to him, politics in Nigeria cannot succeed without inclusiveness.

Mr Kwankwaso also reflected on his time under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who appointed him defence minister.

“It is not like your neighbour, your brother or somebody who is of your religion, is the best for you. No, look at people of capacity, people who can deliver,” Mr Kwankwaso stated.

The former Kano governor’s remark follows the decision of the Nigeria Democratic Congress to zone its presidential ticket to the South for a single four-year term.