Kwankwaso vows to slog to it out, won’t succumb to propaganda and lies
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“Has it happened in the history of democracy in Nigeria that a presidential candidate with a strong party backing him, with Nigerians urging him to move on, will surrender his structures to someone else?
“Now that he has become a shining star, they are scared. It is sheer propaganda and psychological warfare and all those behind this should stop.”
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Rabiu Kwankwaso says he will not succumb to pressure from Northern elders to step down for Atiku Abubakar and has vowed to go head-to-head with him for the Northern vote, particular in Kano and much of the North West where he is popular.
Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has strong support in the grassroots whose talakawas appreciate his infrastructure projects and scholarship grants to students during his tenure as Kano Governor.
The political math is tighter for Atiku in Adamawa and the rest of the North East, where he contents with former Borno Governor Kashim Shettima now the running mate of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
So it was not a surprise when news broke at the weekend that Northern elders are putting pressure on Kwankwaso to step down for Atiku who boasts a bigger war chest to lock down the entire Northern vote, before facing the rest of the field.
But NNPP spokesman Major Agbo faulted the report.
“How can anybody come out to say Kwankwaso should step down for Atiku? No, it is Atiku that should step down,” he riposted.
He insisted Kwankwaso is in the race and will win the Presidency in 2023. He did not, however, rule out alliance talks if they will be done on Kwankwaso’s terms.
Asked about the talks between the NNPC and the presidential team of the Labour Party (LP), Agbo dismissed the report, according to reporting by The PUNCH.
“Go and ask [Doyin] Okupe. He was the one who scuttled the first alliance talks because he came into the negotiation with his ‘unusual’ agenda that [Peter] Obi should be made the President. How can Obi be President over Kwankwaso?”
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Opponents’ propaganda out of fear
NNPP National Chairman Rufai Alkali also denied that Kwankwaso plans to step down for Atiku.
Alkali, a Professor of political science, said the report is the work of people deceiving Nigerians to score cheap political points.
“It is completely false. We are not surprised at all that this story is coming out this way at this time. All discerning Nigerians have been following the pattern,” her explained, per The PUNCH.
“They first said our candidate was going to step down for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. When we debunked it, they said the NNPP had surrendered to the Labour Party and Peter Obi. When we explained the circumstances, they kept quiet.
“Next, there was an attempt by our elders at the Arewa Consultative Forum dialogue for presidential candidates to present their manifestos.
“We agreed with the organisers but we realised that there were forces working to undermine the process by using the platform to endorse a Northern candidate. When Kwankwaso did not appear, that project collapsed.
“In the past few weeks, our candidate presented his blueprint which came out very solid. He was at the AriseTV-CDD presidential debate which was very successful.
“He travelled to the South East, and spent three days in Enugu and Abakiliki.
“With all these achievements, fear has gripped them. They have now come up with another card that he is under pressure to step down. Step down for who? Under what circumstances?
“Has it happened in the history of democracy in Nigeria that a presidential candidate with a strong party backing him, with Nigerians urging him to move on, will surrender his structures to someone else?
“Now that he has become a shining star, they are scared. It is sheer propaganda and psychological warfare and all those behind this should stop.”