The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Labour Pary have dismissed claims by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar that he is in talks with the NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, and that of Labour Party Peter Obi. and would be ready to work him.
Atiku Abubakar, had in an interview with the Housa service of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, claimed that he would be meeting with the candidates of the New Nigerian People Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso; and Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, to support his ambition in the forthcoming election.
He said, “Although, I see no threat in any of them (Obi and Kwankwaso) but we are in talks.
“The discussion might yield a positive result that will see one of them coming.”
Dismissing the claim in a press conference yesterday in Abuja, National Chairman of NNPP, Professor Ahmed Alkali, said the party has never had any talk and is not ready for any form of negotiation with Atiku and his PDP as its presidential candidate has the confidence and capacity to win the February 25 presidential election.
Professor Alkali, who described the NNPP presidential candidate as a candidate to beat in the election said the party has toured about 34 states and over 550 local governments areas, spreading its message or the possibility of a new Nigeria under Kwankwaso as president and would only see Atiku’s comment as a distraction that should no be listened to.
He disclosed that he has received numerous calls from party supporters and stakeholder since the statement by Atiku, noting that the PDP candidate had made a similar distraction through some faceless Northern Elder group who claimed that they would soon arrive at a consensus candidate for the North.
“PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar has been granting interviews that they are working towards having consensus candidate from the North, that will lead Kwankwaso to collapse his structure to the PDP.
“Apart from our candidate, we have governorship, senatorial, House of Reps and State Assembly candidates and Atiku is taking us for granted.
“We have no arrangements with Atiku, we are running out campaigns on how to liberate Nigeria. Our presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has got the qualities to lead the country to stardom having been a former Governor, Senator, Minister etc
“Atiku has severally failed in his attempt to use a certain section of the North to actualize his elfish ambition. As far as we are concerned the NNPP has no engagement with Atiku..
“We have watched several how he has come so low of his person by trying to force himself on Nigerians, and now he has gone again to reduce his person by trying to bring our party into his selfish quest
“It is obvious that the PDP of today is no longer the party our founding fathers laboured for, hence the party has continued to crumble. Atiku should not bring the NNPP into his party crisis, he should concentrate on how to mend fences in his crisis ridden party and not use the NNPP to curry favour from Nigerians,” Alkali warned
The NNPP chairman noted that the 2023 election is for the Nigerian people and cannot be decided by the likes of Atiku, adding that NNPP has covered over 34 states in its campaign
“And everything we do is through strategic thinking and planning. Kwankwaso is a house hold name in Nigeria and that is why he is widely accepted for this election. He has made so many friends nationwide, he has much to offer.
“We have promised to scrap fees for WAEC NECO and JAMB as we plan to give the nation’s education sector a new face. We have a well planned manifesto on how the NNPP under Kwankwaso will take Nigeria out of the woods, when he is sworn in on May 29 2023. What does Atiku have to offer, that will make us go back to the party we have left over two years ago?
“It will be a big tragedy to allow both APC and PDP to return to power having jointly damaged the future of Nigeria. Nigerians will not allow this happen again.
“We want to let you know that we disassociate ourselves fully from the comments of Atiku Abubakar”
Also dismissing Atiku’s claim, the Labour Party through a statement by the Head of media Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign, Diran Onifade, said, “We have been inundated with enquiries about the claim of an on-going discussion between our Presidential ticket and the camp of PDP’s Presidential Candidate,Atiku Abubakar.
For emphasis, we wish to repeat, as we have said all day, that the claim is totally false and baseless.