2027 Presidency: NNPP Bars Kwankwaso From Contesting on Party Platform

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has ruled out the possibility of its former presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, contesting the 2027 presidential election on the party’s platform.

The NNPP National Secretary, Mr Ogini Olaposi, made this known in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos, stressing that the party’s 2027 presidential ticket would be open only to bona fide members.

Olaposi explained that Kwankwaso, who flew the NNPP flag in the 2023 presidential election, is no longer eligible to contest on the party’s platform due to unresolved disagreements between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement.

According to him, the NNPP entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kwankwasiyya Movement in 2022, but the agreement expired after the 2023 general elections.

He said alleged anti-party activities by some members of the movement after the polls led to the expulsion of top figures, including Kwankwaso and Elder Buba Galadima, noting that the expulsions remain in force.

“The NNPP presidential ticket for 2027 is open to all qualified party members, unlike in 2023 when it was exclusively given to Kwankwaso,” Olaposi stated.

He revealed that the party already has several presidential aspirants, including two from the NNPP diaspora, and added that the party remains open to more aspirants as well as strategic alliances.

“The NNPP is open to collaborations with sister political parties that share similar ideologies ahead of the 2027 elections,” he said.

Reacting to reports that Kwankwaso claimed he would only defect to a party willing to offer him a presidential ticket, Olaposi dismissed the assertion, describing it as unrealistic.

He argued that Kwankwaso no longer commands the level of influence being attributed to him, particularly in Kano State, noting that several key members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Olaposi added that President Bola Tinubu and the APC’s prospects for 2027 would be driven by performance in office rather than individual political influence.

He further urged political parties interested in alliances with the NNPP to engage only with the party’s National Working Committee, which he said has been affirmed by the courts.

“Kwankwaso and his group remain expelled and have no mandate to negotiate on behalf of the NNPP. All alliances for 2027 will be determined by the party’s recognised National Working Committee,” Olaposi concluded.