The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has asserted that the 2023 presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was handed to an entirely wrong person.
The former Governor of Kano State submitted this while addressing a bloc of supporters yesterday in Ebonyi State.
Naija News understands that the presidential candidate was at the old Presidential Lodge Abakaliki on Wednesday to inaugurate his presidential campaign office ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
Kwankwaso recalled how he contributed to the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 as the presidential candidate of the APC.
He noted that Buhari, at the time, won and was fortunate to get the party’s ticket for a second term and equally won the 2019 polls.
Kwankwaso, however, was worried that the ruling party has now fielded a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its presidential candidate for the 2023 poll.
The presidential candidate, however, did not speak in detail about why he referred to the APC presidential flagbearer as the wrong choice for the ruling party.
Kwankwaso said Nigerians had a bad experience under the administration of the PDP before APC came to power in 2015, but that the experience had worsened in the last 7-year reign of the APC.
He said: “We were five governors that started APC to produce President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. Unfortunately, when we were angry with PDP, APC became worse. And one big mistake APC made was giving its presidential ticket to the wrong person.
“In the North, we are the party to beat. APC has failed the nation. You may not understand what we are talking about because you have more security and a good economy here than what we see in the North.”
Meanwhile, Kwankwaso had earlier given a condition that can make him drop out of the 2023 presidential race. According to the former Kano State Governor, if the party gets a better candidate, he is ready to withdraw from the race.
Kwankwaso said he is not desperate to become the next President of Nigeria but however believes he is the best candidate for the job.
Naturenex reports that he stated this in Enugu on Tuesday while commissioning some campaign offices for his party.
He also blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ‘unpalatable’ situation in Nigeria, saying 2023 is an opportunity for Nigerians to change the narrative by voting for him.
“I am willing to step aside if the NNPP gets a better candidate but for now, I am the best there is and that is why I am working tirelessly to ensure that we win the elections and give Nigerians a better representation,” Kwankwaso said.
