New Telegraph

NNPP: APC, PDP shouldn’t even campaign in 2023

  • Describes debate on same faith candidacy as divisionary

 

  • APC members not happy about choices –Chieftain

 

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Prof. Rufai Ahmed Alkali, has said that both the ruling All Progressives Congress( APC and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) should not even campaign for votes in 2023, going by the disappointing performances they delivered to Nigerians since 1999.

 

He also dismissed debates surrounding the issue of Muslim-Muslim candidacy of the APC, describing the uproar generated by the ticket as diversionary.

 

That was even as some sources within the APC confided in our correspondent that many  members of the party were now worried about the chances of the party in the February 2023 election.

According to Alkali, such issue and other issues concerning the candidature of the APC were divisionary.

 

Alkali posited that Nigerians should be concerned about the performances of 8 years of APC and 16 years of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

 

For NNPP, the two political parties have no reasons to be on the ballot for the 2023 Presidential election.

He said: “Nigerians should be asking the questions of the performance of the ruling party and the lead opposition party.

 

“When you look at the two, you will realize that there is nothing for the two.
“Talking about the Muslim-Muslim tickets of the APC is a divisionary tactics from the problems confronting Nigeria. Wouldn’t Nigeria prefer a Muslim-Muslim ticket that performed than a Muslim-Christian ticket that did not perform?

 

“After all, what we have today is a Muslim-Christian ticket that did not perform.”
Alkali, the NNPP National Chairman was a one – time National Publicity Secretary of the opposition PDP and also   served as the Political Adviser to the former President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

However, some chieftains of the All APC expressed concerns over the choices of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima as the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the party, respectively.

 

According to a party chieftain, who craved anonymity, every member who thinks about the 2023 elections and the future of APC is in regret of their choices.

 

The former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu defeated over 14 other aspirants on June 8, to emerge as the presidential standard bearer of the ruling party.

 

However, last month, he chose the former Borno State Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

 

The source said: “Senator Shettima is a Muslim minority from the North East.”
Speaking to Sunday Telegraph exclusively, the party Chieftain, who craved for anonymity, said that the party is in dilemma over the choice of its Presidential candidate.

According to the source, even the governors, who supported him during the primaries were expressing regrets.

 

The source said that the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi was not wrong when he said the delegates that voted Tinubu were all regretting the choice made.

 

Ameachi, the former Minister of Transportation and defeated APC Presidential aspirant recently said that those that voted for Tinubu to emerge were regretting their decision.

 

The APC Chieftain said that Ameachi was specifically referring to the 14 Northern states governors, who endorsed the candidature of Tinubu after their meeting before the Special National Convention of the party.

 

It would be recalled that few hours before the National Convention that produced Tinubu as the flagbearer of APC, the Northern governors had met and decided that they were going to back a Southern Presidential candidate.

 

The governors presented their position to President Muhammadu Buhari and sought his buy-in for the Southern Presidential candidate.

For the source, this decision was taken when Tinubu had reached out to the governors and other Northern Stakeholders of the APC, including the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari.

The source said: “My party is in dilemma.

“The party members are expressing regrets over the choice of its Presidential and Vice candidates.

“No one among the two is bringing fortunes to the party in the 2023 Presidential elections.

“Whatever anybody is saying is just to save face of the party. They know that the party has made wrong choices as it concerns its Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.

“Members are afraid with what they have seen if the Presidential candidate would withstand the rigours of campaign and if he cannot, what would be the submission of Nigerians.

“They believe that a young and vibrant candidate would have been appealing to the Nigerian youths than what the party has.

“To worsten it all, President Muhammadu Buhari is not ready to influence any kind of rigging for the party, as he had always insisted that he would conduct a free, fair and credible elections.”

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