Kwankwaso’s Betrayal a Relief: NNPP Welcomes Possible APC Move

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said it would be greatly relieved if its 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, officially defects to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos, NNPP National Secretary, Oginni Olaposi, expressed the party’s stance while reacting to the recent resignation of APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, amid rumours linking Kwankwaso to possible talks with the APC.

Ganduje had stepped down from his position on Friday, citing health concerns, sparking speculation that his exit was strategically timed to pave the way for Kwankwaso’s entrance into the party.

According to Olaposi, while Ganduje’s resignation remains an internal affair of the APC, the NNPP chose to comment due to Kwankwaso’s unresolved controversies with their party.

“Kwankwaso still claims membership of our party despite his expulsion over alleged anti-party activities. Beyond attempting to hijack the NNPP, he also subjected us to needless court battles,” Olaposi said.

He highlighted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently restored the NNPP’s original logo after years of legal disputes stemming from Kwankwaso’s move to replace it with his Kwankwasiya Movement’s emblem.

Olaposi added, “We doubt the narrative suggesting Ganduje resigned merely to facilitate a political arrangement with Kwankwaso ahead of 2027. It is well documented that Ganduje once affirmed the APC’s willingness to receive defectors, even those who had previously abandoned its fold.”

The NNPP scribe further noted that the party would actually welcome such a deal. “It would be a source of joy for us if any proposed agreement between the APC and Kwankwaso materialises. The ruling party is better equipped to handle the baggage he brings.”

He lamented that Kwankwaso, who was freely handed the NNPP’s 2023 presidential ticket by the party’s founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, ended up betraying that trust by trying to seize control of the party.