Kwankwaso Sets Conditions For Possible Return To APC

Kano State– Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, says his party is open to rejoining the All Progressives Congress (APC) but only on what he described as “strong promises.”

Kwankwaso made this known while receiving Buhari Bakwana, a former political adviser to ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, along with APC members from Kano’s 44 local government areas, at his Miller Road residence in Kano.

He reminded the delegation of his role in the formation of APC in 2013, recalling the political persecution he and other founding members endured.

“Nobody in the country will tell me the burden we took in creating APC. We were the ones who led the creation of the party, and we were the first set of seven governors to declare support for it. ICPC, EFCC, and the police were all used against me then, just to stop our plans,” he said.

The NNPP leader emphasised that any merger or return must come with tangible rewards for his party’s structures and candidates nationwide.

“If you are asking us to join APC, you must tell us what NNPP will gain. We have gubernatorial candidates in all the states and full structures nationwide. What will you offer them if we join?” he queried.

Kwankwaso accused both APC and PDP of past betrayals, citing how APC failed to recognize his contributions and how PDP rejected his request for a zonal party chairman before his defection.

“Eight years of APC under the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari gave us nothing, not even appreciation. In PDP, we asked for just a zonal party chairman, but they refused. We left peacefully and today we are strong and have integrity,” he said.

He, however, signaled readiness for dialogue, stressing that NNPP would not allow itself to be exploited.

“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us,” Kwankwaso maintained.