The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said accepting to be running mate to any presidential candidate would lead to the collapse of NNPP.
Kwankwaso, a former Governor of Kano State, made the remark on Saturday amid report of merger with Labour Party.
He spoke in Gombe State where he went to inaugurate the state office of the NNPP and meet with elected members of the party and maintained same views on Channels TV Sunday evening.
He told newsmen that his political profile built over the years and his wealth of experience having served in various capacities in the country had helped in bringing the NNPP to limelight within a short time.
Rather, he proposed an alliance with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, whom he wants to be his running mate in the poll.
“I believe it is in the interest of Labour Party and the NNPP, and even in the interest of this country … because LP, as it stands today, certainly cannot win election,” said the former Kano governor. “Yes! It cannot win election.
“Because mainly, the support is mainly in a particular zone and not spread, and the figures there cannot earn anybody a presidential seat in this country.”
Although Kwankwaso is hopeful of an alliance, he explained why he cannot be a running mate to Obi and why the latter should accept the vice-presidential slot.
“The major issue, as it stands today, is the issue of who becomes the president and who becomes the vice president and I believe this is the time really to advise – especially those who are positively behind the candidate of the Labour Party – that for me, I have seen an opportunity for the South East to be relevant in the next dispensation. In PDP, they are completely out, and so in the APC. The only opportunity now is the NNPP.
“Most of the things that are happening in the South, especially in the South East; people are not comfortable with that and as long as you have somebody from there in any party, it will be very difficult for the northern voters to vote, and that’s the situation now,” he said.
