The Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has explained why he cannot accept to be running mate to the popular Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
The former Governor of Kano State made the comment on Saturday in Gombe while speaking with journalists after the inauguration of the state’s NNPP office.
Kwankwaso’s statement gave the strong indication that the ongoing talks on possible coalition between the Labour Party and the the NNPP may have collapsed.
Kwakwanso said that the talks ran into some problem around the issue of who should be the presidential candidate in a merger between the NNPP and the LP.
He said that stakeholders in the NNPP hold the view that criteria such age, qualification, offices held, performance and others should be considered in picking a Presidential candidate for the coalition, while the people from the South East believe that the Presidency should go to the South East.
Kwankwanso explained further that the NNPP which according to him, has taken 30 years to build will collapse if he accepts to be running mate in the 2023 general elections.
“From the discussion with 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 criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance and so on.
“Of course the other side wouldn’t want that. Most of the people from there believe that presidency has to go there (South-East).
“If now I decide to be 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.
“I served for 17 years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work that is what is rarely holding NNPP now,” he said.
Kwankwaso said that while the people of the South East are talented businessmen, they are at the lowest in politics. He urged them to focus on getting their politics right.
He said that even if Obi decides to accept to be running mate to him, the South East will oppose it which he said is not strategic.
He stressed that production of a Nigerian President from any part of the country should be a product of strategy, political calculation and equation.
According to him, the South East which lost out in the presidential and vice presidential positions in the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition People’s Democratic Party has a chance with the NNPP.
