South-east not enemy of north — let's forgive ourselves: Kwankwaso

Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has called for stronger political and social ties between northern Nigeria and the South-East, saying the two regions share a long history of cooperation that should be preserved.

Kwankwaso made the remarks in an interview published by BBC Igbo on Wednesday, where he stressed the need for reconciliation, forgiveness and national unity more than five decades after the Nigerian Civil War.

"We have to forgive ourselves. We have to work together as a family. South-east has been our ally, our friends, over the years," he said.

The former Kano State governor cited the alliance between the Northern People's Congress (NPC) and the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), led by Nnamdi Azikiwe, during the First Republic as evidence of the longstanding political relationship between the two regions.

He also recalled that leaders of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), including former President Shehu Shagari, worked closely with politicians from the South-East during the Second Republic.

"During our own time, or the time of our fathers, grandfathers in politics—in the First Republic—you could see the NPC then, which is mainly a northern political party, had an alliance with the NCNC, headed by Nnamdi Azikiwe," Kwankwaso said.

"Even in the Second Republic, you could see our leaders, Shagari and co, went to the South-East and even Anambra State. Azikiwe himself was from Anambra State. So our leaders had foresight.

"The civil war ended in 1970. In 1978 and 1979, when democracy returned, the first thing they said was, 'They are not our enemies. Let's prove it. Let's bring them in. Let's work together.'

"That was how they brought Alex Ekwueme to become the vice president."

Kwankwaso described the late former Vice President Alex Ekwueme as a close ally of the North, noting that he attended Ekwueme's burial in Oko, Anambra State.

"I went to Oko, his hometown. I was there during Alex Ekwueme's burial. Throughout his life, he was our friend. It's only that democracy was truncated," he said.

The former governor also referenced the return of former Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu from exile, saying the political leadership at the time demonstrated forgiveness by supporting his reintegration into national politics.

"The NPN, a mainly northern party, invited Ojukwu to return. He came back, contested for a Senate seat and lost. But despite the fact that he had led Biafra, our leaders decided to forgive themselves and move the country forward," he said.

Kwankwaso urged Nigerians to embrace reconciliation rather than division, stressing that no region or religious group could successfully pursue national politics in isolation.

"We cannot be in the same country and start fighting. We have to have the spirit of forgiveness, whoever offended the other. It depends on who is telling the story.

"We are happy that we in the North have decided to go back to history and work with the South-East. That does not mean we are fighting the South-West or any other part of the country. We are all friends.

"You can't play politics in this country alone—whether it is politics of Muslims, Christians, the North or the South—not at this level," he said.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, is the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), running alongside the party's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for the 2027 general election.