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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
All Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has advised the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, to step down for its standard bearer, Rabiu Kwankwaso because the latter still has age on his side.
NNPP also contended that the internal wrangling in the PDP which produced the G-5 governors who are bent on truncating his ambition, should be enough signals for Atiku to step aside and back his northern brother for the betterment of the region.
Its National Chairman, Prof Rufai Ahmed Alkali, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, said Atiku should understand that the current PDP is not the party of the likes Abubakar Rimi, Sunday Awoniyi, Sule Lamido, Solomon Lar etc, who were patriotic and committed unlike the contemporary leaders.
“He (Atiku) should know that there are other people who have the right to be president and Kwankwaso has done a lot for Nigerians and Nigeria. Kwankwaso is a forerunner in the contest.
“He should respect his age and he cannot force anyone to endorse him. Our members have been worried because we have huge crowds in the South and in the North. Our presidential candidate is campaigning.
“Five governors are not with Atiku. These governors are coming from powerful states. The two others have been sending messages that they will not support Atiku.
“We thought that anyone contesting an election should put his house together. We left the PDP because we knew it would implode.
“It is not the same party as yesterday. The PDP of yesterday is not the PDP of today. Is not the party of Abubakar Rimi, Sunday Awoniyi, Sule Lamido, Solomon Lar and the rest. In the next one week, some will leave the PDP.
“What Kwankwanso is doing is unprecedented and that is why they are afraid. This election is for the people. Today, no presidential candidate has done what Kwankwaso has done in this election.
“We want to say that nobody has anything to offer other than Kwankwaso. Kwankwaso has done everything and nothing happen in Nigeria that Kwankwaso will not travel to address such a crisis.
“It is Kwankwaso that has been fighting for the North. Kwankwaso can move to any state today because he has no enemy,”Alkali said while calling on Atiku to step down for Kwankwaso.
“By May 29, 2023 when Kwankwaso is sworn in, he will scratch JAMB and protect national assets but Atiku wants to sell them. NNPP disassociates itself from Atiku and the purported alliance,” Alkali said adding that it will be a big tragedy for APC or PDP to continue governing Nigeria.
“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 have 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 said NNPP was following the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by providing polling agents unlike most parties who do not have agents.
On the currency crisis, Alkali said the timing was wrong and called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to force the people to revolt.
“Kwankwaso said to anyone that did not change his money, when sworn in as president, he will ensure everyone who is willing to change his money to do so.
“If Kwankwaso becomes president, everyone will take his money to the bank. The CBN act gave six months so, why is the CBN pushing for it now?”, he asked.
