NNPP Denies Secret Pact with Obi, Kwankwaso Ahead of 2027 Election

The New Nigeria People's Party has come out to refute rumors of a clandestine agreement to dissolve its structure in support of Peter Obi, the presidential aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and his potential running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. This clarification was made by the party's National Chairman, Bala Yusuf, during an interview on the sidelines of the party's 11th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja. Over the past six months, the party has experienced significant losses, including its only elected governor, Abba Yusuf of Kano State, who defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress along with his political appointees. The party also lost Kwankwaso and its former National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, to the NDC. Despite these losses, Yusuf emphasized that the party has not entered into any agreement with Kwankwaso or any other political party. He noted that the party's decision not to field a presidential candidate in the 2027 election was based on the fact that there are over 20 registered political parties under the Independent National Electoral Commission, and not all of them need to field candidates. Yusuf stated, 'This is just some people's belief, but we as a party have taken the stand not to field a candidate because there are over 20 political parties registered under INEC and all of us cannot field candidates just for fielding sake.' He further explained that the party's former presidential candidate, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, joining the NDC is not enough reason for the party to collapse its structure for him or any other party. Yusuf reiterated that the party is keeping its options open and will assess candidates produced by other parties based on merit before making a final decision. He said, 'We have to sit and see if we have very viable, presentable and qualified candidates. If we don't have that, it's not compulsory that we have to field a presidential candidate.' The NNPP chairman emphasized that the party will look at the candidates and then form an alliance to see how they can move forward, but for now, they do not have any party in mind. However, if a party's constitution and manifesto align with the NNPP's, they will consider working together.