‘They wanted to stop me from entering Kano’ — Kwankwaso confirms attack on supporters

Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), says his supporters were attacked during a rally at Na’ibawa-Zaria road in Kano.

Kwankwaso spoke on Thursday during a chat with journalists on the elections and other security matters in Kano.

He said the attack on his supporters on was a plot to stop him from entering the city.

The former governor expressed satisfaction over the successful completion of his campaign which covered about 500 LGAs in the country.

Kwakwanso said he did not experience any act of rejection from citizens during his campaign tours noting that nobody threw items at him.

“Firstly, I want to express gratitude to God and my supporters across Kano and Nigeria, particularly every area I visited. I think in the history of Nigeria, I am the only candidate that campaigned across every state, we rallied round so many places but before I go into that, I want to appreciate Nigerians for the support, we started receiving massive support since we launched our party,” he said.

“By God’s grace, we campaigned everywhere across states and communities and today our party is well recognized like every other party. I am very happy, since we started our campaign, today I have campaigned round about 500 out of 774 LGAs.

“My biggest joy is that since we started this party, firstly, we established offices, then we started campaigning, we visited several places, introducing the party and campaigning to move the country to a better place if we are victorious in the election.

“Today I am grateful, I will be sleeping on one side happy, while on the other side unhappy. We went around Nigeria, we went to the south, and the east without problems until It was time to come to Kano. Last night, someone called me from the government house saying they are holding a meeting and planning to stop me by all means from entering Kano.

“I was not going to Kano to campaign, I already concluded everything in Kaduna. I only visited Kano to prepare ahead of the election, so that I can go out and vote on election day but the information I got is that the governor and the director of SSS planned and arranged for us to be attacked.

“People kept telling me to take another route but I told them that the information can still get to those against me. If following another route will save my supporters from the attack, I would have done that.

“Even during the 2015 and 2019 elections, it was the same plot that was arranged against me but it was not because of them I didn’t return. In the whole of Nigeria, nobody can come out and say Rabiu Kwankwaso is owing them one naira, even during my administration as governor, I was not owing.

“The party wrote a letter to them saying we are coming and we heard a meeting was held at the government house and they arranged to attack us and destroy our vehicles.

“Unfortunately, they want to deny me, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a political candidate and a citizen of the state the right to go into Kano in a democratic system. We didn’t come out for a rally, even if my supporters want to hold a rally, why stop them?

“Today, I am not a councillor, senator, or governor, I am not in any position in the country, currently, I am in search of a job. I am an applicant calling on Nigerians to employ me and give me a job. By the grace of God, Nigerians will experience change if I am elected.”