You should be the one to step down for Kwankwaso – NNPP replies Atiku

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, should drop out of the race and back its standard bearer, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

NNPP National Chairman, Rufa’i Alkali, while briefing the press on Wednesday, dismissed the claim that Abubakar is in talks with his party for Kwankwaso to ‘step down.’

Alkali said the PDP is in disarray and the talk about “a consensus northern candidate” is false.

He said; “We have been inundated with calls from across the country. We have no engagement with Atiku Abubakar on any level. Rabiu Kwankwaso is one person that has justified his position as a forerunner in this election. Atiku should not go so low to impose himself on Nigerians.

“What will someone want to offer in northern Nigeria, if not Kwankwaso, since they are talking about northern Nigeria now? The NNPP fully dissociates itself from the antics of Atiku Abubakar. We want Atiku Abubakar to step down for Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. It will be a great mistake and tragedy to allow APC to continue with governance in Nigeria. If people are in doubt, let them go and think again.

“It is also a tragedy to allow some of these people who caused most of these problems to come back again. The parties have taken their presidential candidates to court – this is what we have called mutually assured destruction.”

Meanwhile, the NNPP Presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, earlier threw jabs at his opponents in the 2023 presidential election.

He said his credentials are credible and weighty, making him the best candidate to become Nigeria’s next president, Peoples Gazette reports.

In a video posted on Twitter, the former governor of Kano state who answered questions in Hausa language, said he has a rich understanding of how government at key levels work.

He said; “Nigerians should vote wisely this time around, as the country needs someone who can save it. I’ve worked with the ministry of defence, served as the Kano state governor and represented Kano Central senatorial district for several years with enough knowledge to know what is needed.”

Kwankwaso also touted his educational qualifications as being superior to that of his opponents.

“I am a PhD holder, unlike a secondary school cert holder or diploma cert holder. I do not bed wet nor am I a spare tyre,” Kwankwaso added.

The leading candidates in the presidential race are All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party flagbearer.