In advance of the federal elections in 2023, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, denied telling anyone he was unable to run for vice president.
On Sunday, he changed his mind during an interview on Arise TV.
Former Kano State governor Kwankwaso crushed hopes for a potential coalition with Peter Obi of the Labour Party as a means of defeating the ruling All Progressive Congress and the People’s Democratic Party.
Kwankwaso had previously stated that if the two parties are allied, he cannot be Obi’s running partner.
In addition, he emphasized that he had more support in the north and was deserving of the position of flagbearer.
He added that the NNPP would disintegrate if he accepted to be anyone’s running mate. “At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be a criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance, and so on,” the former governor stated in an interview with newsmen in Gombe. Naturally, the opposition (Labour Party) wouldn’t favor that. The majority of locals think the presidency must be held there (South East).
“If now I decide to be the vice presidential candidate to anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse, because the party is based on what we have built in the last 30 years.”
He also said in a separate interview on Arise that “…if anybody from the South East now, under this circumstance, becomes the presidential candidate of our party or any other party, the implication is that, because of the activities (in the region) and many other issues that are real on the ground, northern voters will certainly go for their northern candidate in another party. It is not whether I like it or I don’t like it, the fact remains that he (Obi) will lose and I will lose.”
Obi chose Datti Baba-Ahmed as his running mate when the alliance broke down because he, according to Obi, had the same vision.
Commenting on the situation and problems surrounding his claim, Kwankwaso claimed that his claim was misconstrued.
He said, “I didn’t say I can’t be VP to anybody. But I gave an analysis of the situation that the best arrangement was for the NNPP to have the ticket and the other party to be the vice president. Actually, we didn’t put it that way.”
Before the deadline of July 15 set by the Independent National Electoral Commission for parties to replace their stand-in candidates, he disclosed that his running companion would be unveiled.
Kwankwaso said, “Let me say that we have passed that season, we are now in the process of , of course, Peter has now gotten his running mate.
“We have also sent the running mate of our party with my humble self and before now and 15th of this month which INEC said every political party to finish the substitution.
“Therefore for us in the NNPP, very soon we going to take the decision, either to allow the gentleman, Oladipo Johnson who accepted to send his name to INEC and the party will sit down and take a decision either to substitute or take his name to continue.
“But in any case, I have answered that question that we are flexible, we have from now till the 15th of this month to make our decision and if we decide to take from any of the three zones (South West, South East and South South) so be it. I believe that at the end of the day, we will bring a vice presidential candidate that will be the best for the party and the best for this country.”
