The New Nigeria People’s Party has dismissed speculations that it has entered into a secret arrangement to collapse its structure in support of the Nigeria Democratic Congress sole presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, and his potential vice presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
- +No pact to collapse structure for Obi, Kwankwaso – NNPP
NNPP National Chairman, Bala Yusuf, made the clarification in an interview with our correspondent on the sidelines of the party’s 11th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.
NNPP National Chairman, Bala Yusuf, made the clarification in an interview with our correspondent on the sidelines of the party’s 11th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.
In the past six months, the party has lost its only elected governor, Abba Yusuf, of Kano State, alongside virtually all his political appointees, to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The party also lost Kwankwaso, and its former National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, to the NDC.
Yusuf, however, insisted that the party had not entered into any agreement with Kwankwaso or any other political party despite growing speculation that the NNPP could align with the NDC following Kwankwaso’s defection.
His remarks came shortly after the party’s National Working Committee announced that the NNPP would not field a presidential candidate for the 2027 election but would instead explore alliances with other political parties in search of a credible and broadly acceptable candidate.
Speaking on reports linking the party to an emerging Obi-Kwankwaso alliance, Yusuf 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.
“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 maintained that the NNPP was keeping its options open and would assess candidates produced by other parties based on merit before taking a final decision.
He said, “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.”
