Former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso has stated that the much-anticipated merger between the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his party, NNPP, would have been the best thing for the country, but, it cannot work.
Newsonline reports that Kwankwaso said he cannot be anyone’s vice-presidential candidate, just as he cannot allow the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP to collaspe after much work.
Senator Kwankwaso stated that in the negotiation between his party NNPP and Peter Obi Labour Party, many issues including age, qualification, offices held and previous performances were put into factor.
Kwankwaso, who was in Gombe State to inaugurate the state office of NNPP and to meet with elected members of the party told newsmen in an interview that the merger will not work out.
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Kwankwaso said, “From the discussion with Labour Party, the main issue was who becomes the president if the parties merge. At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance, and so on.
“Of course, the other side wouldn’t want that. Most of the people from there believe that the president has to go there (South East). If now I decide to be a vice-presidential candidate to anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse, because the party is based on what we have built in the last 30 years.
“I served for 17 years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work that is what is rarely holding NNPP now.”
The merger of Peter Obi and Kwankwaso had been much expected. The followers of the two presidential candidates of LP and NNPP respectively had been eagerly waiting for the announcement, but personal interest has put a cog in the wheel.