By DEJI ABDULWAHAB
ABUJA- The New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) says its Presidential Candidate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, is in the Presidential race to win the 2023 election, not as a spoiler or pretender.
The National Secretary of the NNPP, Mr Dipo Olayoku, made this clarification in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Olayoku made the assertions after an emergency meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), where some publications against the party and its presidential candidate were reviewed.
“The NNPP has again dismissed insinuations that the Presidential Candidate of the party, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, is a spoiler in the next year’s election,’’ the party’s scribe said.
Olayoku said that the NWC also reviewed the timetable for the kick-off of its presidential campaign.
“After reviewing some reports against the party and its Presidential Candidate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the NWC discovered that they were sponsored against the party.
“On Monday, a Weekly newspaper had raised the question: “Kwankwaso, a contender or spoiler?
“But, the NNPP Working Committee, however said, its presidential candidate is the one to beat in the 2023 election and, therefore, cannot be a spoiler or a pretender.’’
He urged the media not to be used by some candidates to run down the NNPP and its presidential candidate.
Olayoku said that other political parties and their candidates had made the NNPP presidential pandidate their target.
According to him, no week would pass without them sponsoring one thing or the other in the media against the candidate or the party.
“Beyond the weekly publication raising question on whether Kwankwaso is a contender or spoiler, attention of the National leadership of the party was also drawn to a report of ‘Storm’ in the party by an online portal.
“The report alleged that a chieftain of the party is a mole, working for another party and its presidential candidate.
“According to the report, this has placed the chieftain against the NNPP Presidential Candidate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso.
“However, l want state that nothing can be further from truth than this.
“We, in the NWC, consider these reports as the handiwork of fifth columnists, who have been trying to cause disaffection in the party and they will never succeed,’’ Olayoku said. (NAN)
