The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP has blasted the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Atiku Abubakar over his claim that he was in talks with the NNPP Presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso over a plan of the latter quitting the race and supporting him.
Addressing Journalists in Abuja, the NNPP National Chairman, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali urged Atiku Abubakar to respect his age, stressing that the party is not in talks with him over a possible alliance.
Rather Alkali urged Atiku to step down for Kwankwaso since he is young with a fresh idea.
The NNPP National Chairman reminded the PDP flagbearer that there are other people who have the right to be president, and Kwankwaso has done a lot for Nigerians and Nigeria.
According to him, NNPP members are worried over Atiku’s claim, which he made while talking to the BBC Hausa service. He also claimed that the PDP is also talking to the Labour Party, whose candidate Peter Obi is favoured by almost all the polls to win this month’s presidential election.
He said, “Our members have been worried because we have huge crowds in the South and in the North. Our presidential candidate is campaigning. Our gubernatorial candidates, Senatorial candidates, House of Representatives candidates and the State House of Assembly candidates have been campaigning.
“Since we came up with this mantra for a new Nigeria, we’ve not been engaged in unnecessary controversy. As a responsible party, we have been taken for granted.
“We are not in talk with Atiku.
“The idea of the northern agenda is not true. The election of 2023 is different. Some leaders whose agenda is to work for some candidate, want a northern candidate. We kept quiet when Atiku said he was the Northern candidate. They talk about a government of national unity. Nobody is talking about that when it is convenient but we have no talk with Atiku and we are not planning an alliance with Atiku. He should respect his age and he can’t force anyone to endorse him.”
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