NNPP chieftain: Big political party privilege won’t count in next presidential election

Ahmed Tijjani, chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says there’s nothing stopping his party from winning the 2023 presidential election with Rabiu Kwankwaso as its candidate.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, Tijjani said the privilege enjoyed by big political parties won’t count in the next election.

The chieftain said what the NNPP has achieved in just three months of its registration, both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) couldn’t achieve in one year.

“If you look at the general acceptance of our party by the Nigerian masses, you will agree with me that nothing is stopping us from winning the 2023 general election,” he said.

“Just look at the massive reception that our leader Rabiu Kwankwaso gets each time he visits one state or the other; you can see the large turnout of people coming out of the streets to receive him, even before the campaign.

“I think that this is clear enough for people to see that we are in the process of winning the presidential election.”

Tijjani said Kwankwaso has so many achievements to show in his previous leadership positions in the country, adding that the NNPP candidate will replicate what he did in those positions if given the opportunity.

“Take a look at the four major presidential candidates for 2023. For example, Bola Tinubu will tell you, vote for me and I will do this and that; Atiku Abubakar will say the same thing. Peter Obi appeared to be a presidential candidate only on social media,” he said.

“Kwankwaso is not just coming to make empty promises like others. What we are saying is that Kwankwaso has done it before and he will do it again if he gets the opportunity.

“Basically, Kaduna and other northern states in the country have not benefited much from the present administration. So, Nigerians are well prepared for the 2023 election. This time, it is not going to be business as usual because the electorate is fully prepared to vote out leaders who have nothing to offer them.

“Our party, the NNPP, will be voted in by the masses who are the victims of successive governments, so we are just waiting for February 2023 for the Nigerian masses to vote massively for us.

“This time around, the issue of big parties won’t count at all. In fact, if there’s a chance for an independent candidate to contest the election, people might vote for him based on his credentials, leaving candidates from the so-called bigger parties.”