2023: NNPP uniting with multiple parties to defeat APC, PDP – Kwankwaso

The Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, says his party is working along with some other political parties to wriggle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress and defeat the main opposition People’s Democratic Party in 2023.

Speaking with journalists in Gombe after he commissioned the Kwankwasiya Campaign Office, Senator Kwankwaso said he was confident because the other parties had a similar ideology of getting the country back on its feet.

Senator Kwankwaso said the South-East was now being presented with a golden opportunity to lead Nigeria if only they would merge with the NNPP, which had been in existence for over 30 years.

“The only opportunity that remains for the Igbo, for the South East, I love them, I want to work together with them and the reality, in fact, I am jobless now, just like the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party. He is also jobless, he is not doing anything. If for example, under the equation, I am supposed to be the Vice President and that will add value to the ticket, certainly I will be very happy. Being a Vice President is a very big job, especially in a responsible government. When I was in Kano State, my Deputy Governor, Ganduje, probably the most powerful deputy in this country, he was everywhere doing everything. And when I finished, despite all the odds, I handed over to him,” said Senator Kwankwaso.

He ascribed the challenges of the South East to politics, which when allowed to continue, would put the Igbos at a disadvantage position, with continued shutting down of the economy every Monday, killing and other additional frustrations.

The NNPP Presidential Candidate said the best way for the South East was a partnership with the NNPP, perhaps after 8 years, considered a preparatory year for the Igbos, they might be considered suitable for the presidency.

On whom his running mate is, Senator Kwankwaso said consultations were still being held for the best person to be selected from the many options being presented to the party from the South, including the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, if that would solve some of the lingering challenges in the South East.

He added that he believes that with an Igbo Vice President in power, he would be in the best position to speak with them.

Moreover, Senator Kwankwaso said an Igbo man from Anambra State established the NNPP some 21 years ago and that he now had an entire zone in support of his candidature, because many Igbos were part of his party.

Senator Kwankwaso attributed business sense, hard work and being industrious as part of the Igbo virtues, but that they needed to learn politics, to be able to get the power they needed.

The NNPP Presidential Candidate said he was happy that the party’s presence was being felt across the country because it had a very strong party structure on the ground in every ward in the country.

“Not Kano, not Northern Nigeria, even the south, 100%. In fact, when INEC was saying one party submitted membership, which was NNPP, not PDP, not APC. So, we are very organised party, one populated by the right calibre of people, especially young men and women, who are our strength,” Senator Kwankwaso said.

He gave an example with his political outing in 2011, where young men and women supported his political contest for the Governorship seat of Kano State and got an outright victory without the support from the Federal, state or local government areas.

He said that during his time as governor of Kano State and Defence Minister, he focused more on education, security, empowerment as well as job opportunities for the teeming youths in the country, which was evident in the peace enjoyed during that time.

Senator Kwankwaso pledged that the NNPP, would within the shortest period of time when given the opportunity to serve as Nigeria’s President, tackle the challenges confronting every segment of the country.

“Very small time, all these people, either in the North or South, we will sit down with them if they want to. We discuss and if it is something that anybody has got grudges or reasons to take arms against his fellow Nigerians, we will listen to him. At the end of the day, if for example, they brought things that we consider legitimate. We look at it and handle it as government,” said NNPP Presidential Candidate.

He said the strategy he would adopt was equipping the security agencies well enough to handle any unlawful or unconstitutional behaviours exhibited in any section of the country, such as insecurity and its likes.

Senator Kwankwaso who believes he was the Architect of Modern Kano added that if given the opportunity to serve Nigeria, he would replicate what he did in Kano across Nigeria, in the areas of Agriculture, Health, Infrastructure and security.

According to Senator Kwankwaso, security and management of resources will be the key responsibility of his government, because tackling it would mean boosting the other sectors of the economy, saying he never borrowed a dime, when he served as the Kano State Governor for eight years.

He said he paid off the debts he met in office from the previous administration and also left office without any single debt to his name.

“I proved it in Kano different times that the management of resources is very key. In my opinion, I don’t see any reason why our governments will go on a borrowing spree all over the world. Meaning that all our future, the future of our children and grandchildren is already being sold to Chinese, to Europeans and Americans,” said Senator Kwankwaso.

He said it was rather unfortunate that the incoming governments would have to battle with debts Nigeria owed at the moment.

N.O