Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 presidential election, is reportedly seeking to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bellnewsonline.com reports that AbdulMajid Dan Bilki Kwamanda, an ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, made the disclosure recently while addressing journalists at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Kano.
Kwamanda expressed his opposition to Kwankwaso’s alleged move, citing Kwankwaso’s alleged lack of trustworthiness and penchant for personal gain. He cautioned President-elect Bola Tinubu to reject Kwankwaso’s bid to join the APC, adding that his entry would cause serious division within the party.
Responding to rumours of secret meetings between Kwankwaso and Tinubu, Kwamanda warned that bringing him into the APC would be a betrayal of the North and not in Tinubu’s best interests for future politics.
Kwamanda further argued that Kwankwaso’s arrival in the APC would hinder the chances of Vice President-elect Senator Kashim Shettima and that the North-West deserved the Senate Presidency in the 10th National Assembly. He also dismissed criticisms from the South-South, stating that they did not contribute to the formation of the new government.
“They didn’t work for us, they were against the Muslim-Muslim ticket. They didn’t consider it during Jonathan when the president, Senate President and his deputy were all Christians. So now it is time for the North, even in the North, it is time for Barau Jibrin to be the Senate president. This is our choice and is what we are calling for,” he said.
This newspaper reports that Kwankwaso came fourth in the recent presidential election, behind Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Tinubu of the APC.