ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), has warned the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against settling for Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as running mate, alleging that the former Kano State governor could eventually turn against the coalition.
The NNPP’s National Secretary-General, Ogini Olaposi, described the reported choice of Kwankwaso as a “gross mistake”, urging the NDC to consider his political antecedents before finalising its 2027 presidential ticket.
Vanguard reports that Olaposi, in a statement on Monday, based his warning largely on Kwankwaso’s strained relationship with the NNPP after he contested the 2023 presidential election on the party’s platform.
According to him, the NNPP provided Kwankwaso with the platform and support that propelled him into the frontline of national politics, but he later turned against the party.
“This is why political parties must be careful of who they choose as running mates and flag bearers,” Olaposi said.
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He added, “Once a betrayer, always a betrayer, and posterity will prove us right.”
The NNPP chieftain alleged that Kwankwaso’s actions after the 2023 election contributed to the crisis that engulfed the party and resulted in some members leaving.
“We will not forget in a hurry how he destroyed the party, leading to our members leaving in droves. He will betray the NDC in the same manner shortly,” Olaposi alleged.
He further argued that the opportunity given to Kwankwaso by the NNPP in 2023 was instrumental to his emergence as a major figure in the ongoing negotiations and alignments ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
“The rare opportunity NNPP gave to Kwankwaso in 2023, in addition to a free ticket, is what has brought him to the frontline of negotiations at the presidential level in Nigeria at the moment,” he said.
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Olaposi also rejected claims that the NNPP had been handed over to Kwankwaso by the party’s founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam.
Describing such a claim as “preposterous and unthinkable”, he argued that the party’s ownership and structure could not simply be transferred without the original certificate of registration.
The NNPP secretary-general also cautioned the NDC against relying solely on Obi’s popularity to secure victory in 2027.
He said the credibility and political antecedents of a running mate would also matter to voters, particularly because of the constitutional possibility of a vice-president succeeding the president.
“One candidate in a party alone cannot guarantee victory. People will also look at the antecedents of the running mate because, in the event of any happenstance, the vice-president may become the president.
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“Nigerians know this and the NDC will understand it at the polls,” he said.
Olaposi equally dismissed the size of crowds at political rallies as proof of electoral strength, arguing that large gatherings did not automatically translate into votes.
“Pulling rented crowds at rallies is not tantamount to votes. The same crowd will be paid to be everywhere else,” he said.
He urged Seriake Dickson, founder of the NDC, to remain vigilant and work with other co-founders to protect the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
“It is our hope that Seriake Dickson, founder of NDC, shall be on the alert and ensure that his co-founders are duly activated to protect the structure of NDC from Kwankwaso,” he said.
Olaposi also appealed to NNPP members who had left the party to return ahead of the 2027 general elections.