SOKOTO, Nigeria — Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have paid a courtesy visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, during their political engagements in Sokoto State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The delegation visited the Sultan at his palace on Monday, September 28, ahead of a town-hall engagement in the state. Obi was accompanied by Kwankwaso and other members of their political team.
Obi said the delegation also used the visit to condole with the Sultan over the recent death of the Sardauna of Sokoto.
Speaking during the meeting, Obi highlighted the need for greater national unity, improved security, poverty reduction, job creation and renewed public confidence in Nigeria.
According to Obi, the Sultan identified security, poverty and employment as three critical priorities for the country.
The former Anambra State governor also said the Sultan recalled that he had known him for nearly 46 years, dating back to 1980, when Obi was a first-year student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Obi said the Sultan reminded the delegation that leadership was a responsibility for which those entrusted with political authority would ultimately be held accountable.
The monarch also stressed the importance of Nigeria’s ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity, according to Obi’s account of the meeting, describing the country’s diversity as something that should strengthen rather than divide the nation.
Obi said his political platform was not seeking to Islamise or Christianise Nigerians, but to build a country where citizens could live safely, prosper and have a genuine sense of belonging.
The Sultan also urged politicians and their supporters to maintain peaceful political conduct ahead of the 2027 elections, according to reports of the meeting. He cautioned against insults, inflammatory statements and rhetoric capable of creating tension or division.
The monarch told political actors that they had the right to present their programmes and seek voters’ support while respecting opposing candidates, political parties and citizens with different political views.
The meeting formed part of Obi and Kwankwaso’s wider political consultations and town-hall engagements in Sokoto State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Source: Peter Obi’s statement on the visit and reports from Nigerian news organisations.
