The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has claimed that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is no longer a viable political force and suggested that its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is seeking a return to the APC.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, April 15, during the Tinubu Support Group (TSG) visit to the APC national secretariat, Ganduje dismissed the NNPP’s relevance in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“The NNPP is dead. And it will soon be buried very, very soon. The coffin has already been constructed. What remains now is to dig the grave. And already they are digging the grave very, very soon,” Ganduje said.
Ganduje, who succeeded Kwankwaso as governor of Kano State, suggested the APC is open to accepting his former political ally back into the fold.
“Even like that, the so-called NNPP national leader, he too, he says after losing everyone, he wants to come back to us. We will welcome him because he’s coming back home,” he added.
Kwankwaso quashes defection rumour
However, the NNPP has denied any plans for defection.
At a recent National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Kwankwaso dismissed such claims, asserting that Ganduje might consider joining the NNPP instead.
NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary in Kano State, Ladipo Johnson, reiterated the party’s stance in a recent interview, stating, “While the party is open to discussions about possible alignments, there is nothing on the table yet.”
The war of words highlights the ongoing tension between the two Kano political giants as both parties jostle for influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
