BY KUNLE OLUDAYE, AKURE
The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), Ajuji Ahmed, has fingered the battle for the 2027 electoral context as reason for 2027 election as the reason for what he described as i dtigsted internal wranglings in the various opposition political parties in the country
This even as he alleged that crises rocking opposition parties in the country were orchestrated by the All Progressives Congress, (APC), to win the 2027 general elections and for President Bola Tinubu to win his second term.
The NNPP national chairman therefore stated that the party will be out to support any form of genuine alliance and moves by opposition parties against the ruling APC in order to sack the party and Tinubu from power.
Ahmed gave the assurance during the flag-off of the party’s campaign in Akure, Ondo State capital, ahead of the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in the state.
He emphasising that there will be no room to manipulate the result of the poll,
Ahmed said, “The fear that APC might want to manipulate the election is being expressed everywhere, no doubt in Ondo State. Wherever you have a ruling party, the ruling party might not want to have a good opposition around it.
“But at the end of the day, it is left to us to guard our votes on the voting day by having a credible agent who will protect the votes and who will also be in charge of supervising the counting. Once we have that, we believe that there is nothing the APC can do as such.
“I do not believe that the APC is trying to create crises in opposition parties; I believe that the APC is doing whatever it can to ensure it wins the 2027 general elections.
“Certainly, there is evidence everywhere that they are interfering in other parties, but it is left for the other parties to maintain their integrity and ensure that they remain one and a viable opposition to the APC before and after the 2027 general elections.
“I believe there should be a plan by the opposition parties to unite ahead of the 2027 election. The NNPP will also be part of it if at all it materialises. We have our doors open in such a way that if there is going to be a coalition of all the political parties to go into the election, we are ready for that. But if every individual party will want to go on its own, the NNPP is also preparing for that eventuality.”
On his part, the NNPP governorshiip candidate, Edema, who urged the electorate not to be intimidated by the power of incumbency, appealed to them to resist any form of vote-trading capable of prolonging the current hardship in the land.
He warned that the antics deployed by the ruling party in Edo State will be resisted by the people of Ondo State,
The NNPP candidate said, “We are saying Ondo State is not Edo State. Ondo is not Lagos State. The people of Ondo are one of the most enlightened in the whole country and we are capable of protecting our votes and we will protect it.
“We do not fear them. We will dare them.”