Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has called for closer political and social ties between Northern Nigeria and the South-East, saying both regions share a longstanding relationship that should be strengthened for national unity.

Speaking during an interview with BBC Igbo on Wednesday, Kwankwaso said Nigeria’s political history demonstrates the importance of reconciliation and inclusion following the civil war, with leaders deliberately building alliances across regional lines.

The former Kano State governor pointed to the partnership 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 enduring relationship between the two regions.

He also recalled that leaders of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), including former President Shehu Shagari, maintained close political cooperation with South-East leaders during the Second Republic.

“We have to forgive ourselves. We have to work together as a family. South-East has been our ally, our friends, over the years,” Kwankwaso said.

“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.”

According to him, Nigeria’s return to democratic rule after the civil war was driven by a deliberate commitment to reconciliation and national integration.

“The civil war was finished in 1970. In 1978 and 1979, when democracy came back, the first thing they said was, ‘Look, they are not our enemies. Let’s prove to them. Let’s bring them. Let’s work together,’” he said.

Kwankwaso noted that the spirit of inclusion paved the way for the emergence of the late Dr. Alex Ekwueme as Nigeria’s Vice President.

“Our leaders of the first republic worked together with them, and that’s how they brought Alex Ekwueme to be the vice president,” he added.

Describing Ekwueme as “our friend,” Kwankwaso recalled attending the late statesman’s burial in Oko, Anambra State.

“I went to Oko, the 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 senator also referenced the return of former Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu from exile, saying the NPN played a role in facilitating his return to Nigeria and participation in democratic politics.

“The NPN, a mainly northern party, had to invite Ojukwu to come back. He came back, contested for a senate seat and lost. But despite the fact that he was the leader of Biafra at that particular time, our leaders decided to forgive themselves and forge ahead,” he said.

Kwankwaso maintained that forgiveness and national cohesion remain critical to Nigeria’s future, urging Nigerians to reject politics based on religion or regional identity.

“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 giving the story.

“We are so happy that we in the north have decided to go back to history to work with the south-east. That’s not to say we are fighting the south-west or any zone in this country. No, we are all friends.

“You can’t play politics in this country alone—politics of Muslims, or Christians, or north, or south—not at this level,” he said.