The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, says his party is offering Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), “a golden opportunity” to be his running mate.
Kwankwaso spoke on Saturday with journalists after inaugurating the state office of the NNPP in Gombe state.
He said the NNPP will collapse if he becomes Peter Obi’s running mate.
According to him, the southeast will miss a golden opportunity if the LP candidate is not his running mate in 2023.
“From the discussion with the Labour Party, the main issue was who becomes the president if the parties merge,” Premium Times quoted him as saying.
“At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be a criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance, and so on,” the NNPP candidate said.
“Of course, the other side wouldn’t want that. Most of the people from there believe that the presidency has to go there. If I decide to be a vice-presidential candidate for anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse, because the party is based on what we have built in the last 30 years.
“I served for 17 years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work that is what is rarely holding NNPP now.
“Even if my friend [Peter Obi] wants to accept the vice-presidential candidate, some people in the south-east will not accept, that is not strategic.
“This is a golden opportunity, if they lose it, it will be a disaster.”
