Why I’m not leaving NNPP – Kwankwaso

KThe 2023 presidential candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has dismissed speculation about plans to quit the party, insisting he remains firmly committed to its cause.

Speaking at the NNPP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Thursday, Kwankwaso described reports of his defection as false and unfounded, stressing that the party was making significant progress in Kano and other states.

“We are very happy about that,” he said, noting that many had turned up at the meeting expecting him to make a major announcement about his political future.

“But let me take this opportunity to tell you that we have our party, and we are comfortable. We are happy. We are ready to do whatever it takes because we are not in a hurry,” he added.

Kwankwaso reaffirmed his belief in party supremacy, making it clear that any alliance talks ahead of the 2027 elections would not be a unilateral decision.

“If there will be any negotiation, it will be collective. It will not be only for the negotiators but for the entire members of this NNPP family.

“The fact remains that there is nobody in Kwankwasia today that I know, or even in NNPP, who is saying that, ‘yes, I want to go,’” he said.

Advising party faithful to ignore the political hype around defections, he remarked:“Those people don’t understand, and they don’t have much experience. They believe that they know when they actually don’t know.

“Even if they are interested in knowing, I think they should come and ask one of us.”

Kwankwaso reflected on his political journey, recalling how he lost the Kano governorship race in 2003 despite being an incumbent — a setback he attributed to overwhelming support at the time for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari. He eventually returned to power eight years later, calling the experience “a good lesson for everybody.”