Plans by leading opposition politicians to evolved a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the next presidential poll suffered a setback yesterday.
The leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, ruled out the prospect of collaboration and power sharing deal with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, citing lack of trust.
He dismissed what he described as increasing speculations about a 2027 pact with Atiku, who ran for president on the platform of PDP in last year’s election, and his LP counterpart, Obi, saying that it is a ruse.
Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso were prominent PDP chieftains before they defected from the party at different times. Only Atiku has returned and stayed on in the party.
Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and NNPP 2023 presidential candidate, said he was not ready to fall for the unpardonable deception and antics of the PDP, which led to the defection of many big wigs from the platform.
He lamented that some politicians, including those who never did anything tangible for the North, are working hard to manipulate sentiments across the northern states in a desperate bid for political power in 2027.
Kwankwaso, who fielded questions on a Hausa BBC programme, denied any meeting with Atiku and Obi for the purpose of exploring opportunities for political cooperation.
The NNPP leader said any discussion on 2027 politics could distract the federal and state governments from focusing on governance.
He said: “I got information from sources purporting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and I have met. But what I know is that nobody contacted me and I have not spoken with Atiku.
“Also, I have not spoken with Peter Obi because I decided that until the end of this year 2024, it is better to allow state governments and the Federal Government to work for the people and apply their wisdom in governance.”
Denying any involvement the rumoured power sharing plot, Kwankwaso said it was a lie.
In what is believed to be a veiled reference to Atiku, Kwankwaso said it was worrisome that an octogenarian elder statesmen could regress to lying.
He stressed: “The most annoying thing is that some people in the PDP told a group of about 45 (Islamic) scholars that there is a consensus that Atiku will rule for four years, Kwankwaso will subsequently rule for four years and Peter Obi, eight years; this is totally a lie, it is not true.
“This has infuriated me: why is it that elder statesmen in their 70s, 80s, will be spreading such lies to these scholars about something that has never existed?
“Such statements and deceits were part of things that made me and some other people leave the (PDP) party and now they have destabilised the party.”
Kwankwaso recalled that the desperate and selfish agenda of certain PDP leaders forced him and Obi to leave the party.
Read Also: APC to Kwankwaso: No room for Kano NNPP to manipulate votes in 2027
He pointed out that a similar scenario is being re-enacted in a bid to manipulate sentiments and corner the support of the North.
Kwankwaso said: “For me to accept any alliance arrangements, we have to go back to history; I understand PDP in totality. I know that their plan is to procure a party or be beating around the bush in other parties, bring us together to make northerners vote for them.
“But what we are asking them is: ‘what have they done for the North before?’ These are the kind of things that will come into play.
Kwankwaso doubted the prospect of collaborating with PDP leaders who humiliated and forced him out of the party.
He said: “To my mind, we have witnessed the worst of humiliation from these people; we love the party, we wanted to rejig it so that we can all prosper. But they made us to leave by force.
“Kwankwaso left, Peter Obi left, Wike left (the FCT minister is still in PDP) and others left too and there is no estimate of the number of those who left; yet they are the same people coming now to the fore, expressing interest in being made President (in 2027)”
The NNPP leader said “even if all that such persons can do now is to express remorse or seek forgiveness, it won’t change the fact that people like him had been deceived and humiliated in the past.”
He added: “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
