Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has explained why he was unable to collaborate with Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
Obi and Kwankwaso both expressed a desire in working together, but they were unable to come to an agreement on how to forge an alliance. This was revealed in a tweet on Wednesday by the former governor of Kano State.
He claimed that both parties found it challenging to strike a deal because LP was experiencing the height of its media buzz. Kwankwaso insisted that his party enjoys widespread support across the country.
“On the Labour Party, I was initially interested in working with them, but at that time, they were at the peak of the media hype and we couldn’t reach a compromise.
“Our party (NNPP) is a National Party, and we’re commanding the support of the masses,” he tweeted.
In an interview with BBC Hausa in June 2022, Kwankwaso said he discussed with Peter Obi on probable alliance: “Yes, we are discussing with Peter Obi, or I will rather say a committee is working to see all that is necessary on teaming up with him, and our friends and relations have been coming to talk to us over the issue.
The former governor of Kano State explained that their teaming up is important, looking at the fact that the APC and PDP did not pick their vice presidential candidates from the Igbo.
But there was no success in the negotiations between the two groups because Kwankwaso of the NNPP insisted on being the presidential flagbearer of the Labour party.