The primary reason why Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) candidate for president, cannot be anyone’s running mate in the 2023 election has been made public.
According to Kwankwaso, the NNPP would disintegrate if it accepted to be the running mate of any presidential contender.
While opening the NNPP office in Gombe State and meeting with elected party members, the former governor of Kano State said this in an interview with newsmen.
He said that without his presidency, the NNPP would disintegrate given the notoriety it had gained in such a short period of time.
Kwankwaso also acknowledged that his party had discussed joining forces with the Labour Party, but stated the biggest roadblock to that discussion was the question of who would run for president.
He said, “From the discussion with the Labour Party, the main issue was who becomes the president if the parties merge.
“At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be a criterion in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance and so on.
“Of course, the other side would not want that. Most of the people from there believe that the president has to go there (South-east).
“If I now decide to be the vice-presidential candidate to anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse because the party is based on what we’ve built in the last thirty years.
“I served for seventeen years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work that’s what is rarely holding NNPP now.”
