The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), on Sunday, dismissed media reports (not in TheNiche) that its Presidential Candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, will contest the 2023 Presidential election as running mate to his counterpart in the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi.
According to the NNPP, there was never a time such a discussion or negotiation was held.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr Agbo Major, who said this in Abuja, stated: “NNPP has never at any time said its esteemed Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Engr. Dr. Rabiu Musa kwankwaso, could accept to be Labour Party, Peter Obi’s deputy.
“The report is misleading and embarrassing to our great party, its Presidential Candidate, Kwankwaso, and millions of supporters in Nigeria and in the diaspora,” Major said.
He urged journalists to crosscheck their reports before publishing them to avoid national disaffection ahead of the crucial 2023 general election.
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“As a mass movement, NNPP acknowledged alliance talks with Labour Party that would consolidate and boost the nation’s frail democracy as we collectively strive for a new Nigeria which the party champions,“ he added.
Dr. Major noted that the NNPP has high regard for journalists as the watchdog of society and major stakeholders in the Nigeria democratic process and urged them to always crosscheck their reports before publishing them in tandem with the ethics of their profession.
He expressed confidence that together with the media, the NNPP “shall build a strong, virile, progressive and egalitarian democratic society.”
Kwankwaso, who is the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), on Saturday, confirmed that his party was discussing with the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on the possibility of forming a coalition for next year’s general election.
“It is true we are in talks with Peter Obi and a committee is working to look into how to form a merger between us.
“Friends and family are being up and doing talking about the merger arrangement,” Mr Kwankwaso told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service.
“The merger is important because as you can see both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not pick their running mates from the Southeast,” Kwankwaso added.
The NNPP later corroborated the claim of their presidential candidate.
But neither Kwankwaso nor NNPP gave details of the negotiations other than saying that a special committee was working out the modalities.