Former Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said he and his supporters got nothing in return after delivering nearly two million votes to bring former President Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015, and that the experience pushed him toward seeking political change.

Kwankwaso said this in an interview on Arise TV on Monday, speaking about the personal cost of backing Buhari in the election that ended 16 years of Peoples Democratic Party rule at the federal level.

“I worked so hard. We brought about 1.9, almost 2 million votes. But as politicians, we are not recognised. We put our lives even on the line at that time. But unfortunately, we could not see any benefit either as individuals or the constituencies that we represented,” he said.

The former Kano State governor did not say what he had expected in return or what exactly the Buhari administration failed to do.

He went through each government since 1999 to explain why he believed the country is now ready for real change.

He said Olusegun Obasanjo did his best, that Umar Yar’adua faced serious health problems, and that Goodluck Jonathan’s time in office was complicated by a disputed agreement for him to serve only one term.

“Everybody knows there are issues with this administration again,” he said of the current Tinubu government.

He added, “And therefore, people are determined at grassroots level, and even at the level we are operating now, that there should be some level of changes.”

Kwankwaso said the failures of those years created the conditions for the wave of support the Nigeria Democratic Congress had been receiving since he and Peter Obi formally joined the party on May 3.

“Since we decided to join NDC, Nigerians have decided to come and join us. People are opening offices everywhere across the world. So we are happy about that,” he said.

He also said his years in politics had taught him that a president being from your region was no guarantee of good governance, a view he used to explain why he supported zoning the NDC’s 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

“Those of us in the political trenches would tell you that it is not only the man from your end that would make the country move forward.

“What is key is to have quality leadership, people who are enthusiastic, determined and committed to give the country the leadership it deserves,” he said.