The Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano State, Hashimu Dungurawa, has cleared the air on widespread speculation that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other members are planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dungurawa firmly denied the rumor, stating that neither Kwankwaso nor the NNPP leadership has any interest in joining the APC. Speaking in response to reports suggesting that the former governor might be on his way to the ruling party, Dungurawa said there was no truth to the claims.
He stressed that the NNPP has no reason to consider defection, as it views the APC as a party that has failed to deliver on its promises to Nigerians. According to him, the APC has taken the country in the wrong direction and does not represent the kind of leadership the NNPP believes in.
Dungurawa accused the APC of damaging the country’s democratic foundations. He argued that Nigerians are losing faith in the APC, pointing to the decline in the party’s performance at the polls over the years. He said the figures reflect public disappointment, noting that the APC received nearly 20 million votes in 2015, 16 million in 2019, and only 8 million in the 2023 elections.
In his view, Nigerians are preparing to express their frustrations through the ballot box, and the NNPP is focused on offering an alternative that prioritizes the needs of the people.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Abbas, had earlier described the rumor of Kwankwaso’s possible defection as a positive development. However, he noted that such a move would come with certain conditions.
Despite Abbas’s openness to the idea, Dungurawa maintained that no talks or plans of any sort were in place and that the NNPP remained firm in its stance.
