Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), responds to comments by former Borno State governor Ali Modu Sheriff about Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi’s level of support in Northern Nigeria. In a statement posted on Kwankwaso’s official page on 7 July 2026, Kwankwaso dismisses Sheriff’s assertion that Obi lacks significant political backing in the region. The Punch reports that Kwankwaso criticizes Sheriff’s remarks and points to voting figures from a previous election to argue that Obi has measurable support in Northern states. Kwankwaso’s position, as reflected across the sources, is that claims of weak Northern support for Obi are not accurate, and that the record of votes contradicts Sheriff’s assessment. The exchange centres on competing evaluations of Obi’s electoral strength in the North, with Kwankwaso challenging Sheriff publicly and emphasising Northern support based on reported vote totals.