The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has dismissed claims that its 2023 presidential candidate and national leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, endorsed the defection of any member from the party.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, made the clarification on Wednesday during an interview on Prime Time, a programme aired on Arise Television.
Johnson said Kwankwaso’s comments had been taken out of context and deliberately misrepresented to suggest that he supported a planned defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting to reports that the former Kano State governor had allegedly endorsed the defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and other NNPP members, Johnson said such narratives were false.
“I think I can say it plainly that he didn’t endorse any move either directly or indirectly,” Johnson said.
“It was unfortunate that we had this breaking news, as it were, that he had made a U-turn and had endorsed the pending or purported movement by the governor to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He didn’t, and that is why we pushed back on the issue,” he added.
Johnson maintained that Kwankwaso’s position was deliberately distorted to give the impression that he supported the defection move.
“I’m saying that the words were taken out of context, and it was an attempt to deliberately misrepresent his position,” he said.
He stressed that Kwankwaso had not authorised anyone to speak on his behalf in support of any defection.
The NNPP spokesman further stated that party members who wished to leave were free to do so but should not involve Kwankwaso’s name.
“That is why I later said that if people do want to leave, they don’t need to drag his name into it,” Johnson said.
“They don’t need to tell the masses in Kano that Kwankwaso is in support of what is going on. They can simply move if they believe they are moving to greener pastures,” he added.