NNPP Denies Plan To Collapse Structure For Obi, Kwankwaso

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has dismissed speculations that it has entered into a secret arrangement to collapse its structure in support of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, and his potential running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The NNPP National Chairman, Bala Yusuf, made the clarification in an interview with Punch on the sidelines of the party’s 11th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

Yusuf said the party had not entered into any agreement with Kwankwaso, the NDC or any other political party.

In the past six months, the NNPP has lost its only elected governor, Abba Yusuf of Kano State, alongside virtually all his political appointees, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party also lost its former presidential candidate, Kwankwaso, and its former National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, to the NDC.

However, Yusuf insisted that Kwankwaso’s defection was not enough to make the NNPP surrender its structure to him or any other platform.

Yusuf said the party’s decision not to field a presidential candidate in 2027 should not be interpreted as support for any particular aspirant or party.

He said, “This is just some people’s belief, but we as a party have taken the stand not to field a candidate because there are over 20 political parties registered under INEC and all of us cannot field candidates just for fielding sake.

“Again, we are not collapsing the NNPP structure for the NDC or the ruling party. That our former presidential candidate Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso joined the NDC is not enough to make us collapse our structure for him or any party.”

NNPP Open To Alliance

The NNPP chairman said the party was more interested in supporting credible leadership than merely fielding a presidential candidate.

“It’s not for us to have a presidential candidate that matters. Nigeria is seriously in a very difficult situation. We need to see if other parties can bring out a very good, credible and well-focused presidential candidate. We want to see what other parties are producing as their authentic presidential candidate,” Yusuf said.

Yusuf said the NNPP would assess candidates produced by other parties on merit before making a final decision on any alliance.

He added, “We have to sit and see if we have very viable, presentable and qualified candidates. If we don’t have that, it’s not compulsory that we have to field a presidential candidate.

“We’ll look at them and then form an alliance to see how we can forge ahead. For now, we don’t have any party in mind. But if the party’s constitution and manifesto align with our own party, the NNPP, definitely we will seek to work together with that party.”