The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said it is in talks with the former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over his possible defection to the party ahead of the 2023 General Elections.
The outgoing National Secretary of the party, Ambassador Agbo Gilbert Major, said this on Tuesday in Abuja, on the sidelines of the Special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
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He said the meeting was aimed at taking crucial decisions that will reposition the party ahead of 2023.
He said in a matter of days, the two-time Kano State governor would join the party alongside his allies.
Daily Trust reports that Kwankwaso, who was a Minister of Defense, penultimate Tuesday in Abuja formally launched The National Movement (TNM), which he is heading as the convener.
“Nigerians are getting set for the general election and we are meeting to reposition the party, and the frontiers are opening, a lot of Nigerians are coming in and there is need for us to adjust and accommodate the interests that are coming in.
“These are the very crucial decisions that we are about to take and it is going to midwife a national convention which will hold within the next 30 days. We have read Nigerians speculating, the only thing I can tell you is that we are in deep talks with Kwankwaso, in fact we have almost concluded, in the next few days, we will be reverting to Nigerians to tell them what understanding we have had with him (Kwankwaso), but I can assure you that he is on his way into NNPP,” Major said.
He also ruled out an automatic presidential ticket for Kwankwaso, saying other aspirants would be given the opportunity to contest for it.
He said Kwankwaso, during the talks, assured that he would be a loyal party member and would follow the dictates and rules of the party.
“The presidential ticket is not automatic, he (Kwankwaso) has told us that his moves towards coming into the party should not be seen as an attempt to take the ticket automatically, and we have encouraged other aspirants to come so that we can fully demonstrate the power of the rights of people,” he said.
Major also said the party will not be going into any coalition or merge with any group or political party, as this had been tried in the past without meaningful result.
“We have never been part of any coalition, it is important to let you know that the NNPP is a very old party and so we have seen a lot of these things come and go, we have never believed in this coalition thing because we have experimented it.
“In 2007 we went into some form of electoral alliance, we did not get what we wanted to get, coming together entails either a merger arrangement or a coalition, we have experimented with coalition repeatedly, and it has not given us any result, the only thing they have tried and it worked is the merger,” he said.
Daily Trust also reports that the meeting adopted the proposal to amend the party’s constitution granting waivers to new members and restructuring of the party.
This is to enable new comers contest for party’s elective positions or as candidate of the party in state and national elections.
Members of the Caretaker Committee were sworn in immediately as the with the outgoing national chairman becoming the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman.
AVM John Chris Ifeimeje (Retd) emerged the acting national chairman in the national caretaker committee of the party.
The caretaker committee was shared between the party’s old NNPP members and other members of the Kwankwaso groups.
Some of the prominent Kwankwaso loyalists that attend the meeting include former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali; former National Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr. Buba Galadima; and former Kaduna Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi among others.
