The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 election, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has revealed that he is open to returning to the All Progressives Congress (APC) if given clear terms.
Kwankwaso made this known while addressing his supporters on Thursday.
“If you said I should enter APC, I want to join APC, and I didn’t say I will not join APC even now, but for what position?” he asked.
He said he and his allies played a key role in the formation of the APC, facing pressure from security agencies and anti-graft bodies during the process.
“We are the ones who established the party. We are the leaders of the APC. We challenged the federal government then and faced many threats from the EFCC, ICPC, police, SSS, and others,” he said.
Kwankwaso noted that despite their role in building the APC, his group was sidelined during the party’s eight years in power under Muhammadu Buhari.
“During the APC’s eight years under Buhari, we were not given anything, not even a ‘thank you,’ because our faction of the PDP didn’t start with them,” he said.
He added that his defection back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also yielded little, as the party failed to reward his faction with even a zonal leadership position.
Kwankwaso said his value as a politician has grown since establishing the NNPP, and that he will only consider alliances with parties that are prepared to treat his group with respect.
He stated: “We’re not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we’re happy. However, if there is anyone who wants to work with us truthfully and will not abandon us as before, we are ready.
“Even if the PDP comes back and says they made a mistake and will do this and that, let’s make promises where everyone can see them.”