The New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) has spurned reports suggesting internal wrangling within the party and that its presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is a spoiler in the 2023 presidential poll.
National secretary of the NNPP, Dipo Olayoku, disclosed this in a statement he issued after an emergency meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), where some publications against the party and its presidential candidate were reviewed.
He said the NNPP NWC also reviewed the timetable for the kick-off of its presidential campaign.
Olayoku said after reviewing some reports against the party and its presidential candidate, the NWC discovered that they were sponsored against the Party.
The NNPP NWC maintained that its presidential candidate is a man to beat in the 2023 presidential election, and cannot be a spoiler or a pretender.
The party’s national secretary also dismissed report of alleged storm in the party, just as he urged the media not to allow itself to be used by some Candidates to run the NNPP and its Presidential Candidate down.
He said other political parties and their candidates had made the NNPP presidential candidate their target to the extent that that they now sponsor fake news in the media against him or the party on a weekly basis.
Beyond the weekly publication raising question on whether Kwankwaso is a contender or spoiler, he said attention of the N’national leadership of the party was also drawn to a report of storm in the party.
To this effect, Olayoku said, “However, l want state that nothing can be further from truth than this. We in the National Working Committee consider these reports as the handiwork of fifth columnists, who have been trying to cause disaffection in the Party and they will never succeed.
“They had tried in the past to plant such discord that our Presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was going to step down for another Presidential Candidate. Since that couldn’t fly they have resorted to planting sundry stories against the Party.
“As a political Party, our mission and vision and that of our Presidential Candidate is very clear. That mission and vision is to win the Presidential election next year and to take the country out of the woods, which it has been in the last seven years.
“The meritorious and distinguished credentials of our Presidential Candidate Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in public service and all the political offices that he held are indisputable and no one can fault them.
“We do sincerely understand that it is the tree with the ripe fruits that attracts the attention of the people, the reason for the barrage of attacks against our Party and its Presidential Candidate.
“However, we are moving, as the party is working in harmony and unity of purpose for what it’s doing. We remain focused and would not allow anybody to distract us by sowing seeds of disaffection in the Party. NNPP remains the fastest growing Party in the country”.
“We are therefore calling on all our members and teeming supporters to disregard all misleading and diversionary reports.”