NNPP bars Kwankwaso from 2027 Presidential ticket, opens door to other aspirants

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has declared that its 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, will not be allowed to contest the party’s ticket for the 2027 presidential election.

Mr. Ogini Olaposi, NNPP National Secretary, made the announcement in a statement on Sunday in Lagos, emphasising that the party’s 2027 ticket is open only to bona fide members seeking to run for the presidency or other elective positions.

Olaposi explained that the decision follows disagreements between Kwankwaso, the Kwankwasiya Movement, and the NNPP after the 2023 elections. He noted that a Memorandum of Association between the party and the Kwankwasiya Movement, signed in 2022, expired after the polls, and that top members of the movement, including Kwankwaso and Elder Buba Galadima, were expelled for anti-party activities—a decision that has not been reversed.

“The NNPP ticket for 2027 is open to all members, unlike in 2023 when it was solely given to Kwankwaso,” Olaposi said, adding that the party already has intending presidential aspirants, including two from the NNPP diaspora, and is open to further alliances with sister political parties sharing similar ideologies.

Olaposi dismissed claims that Kwankwaso could demand a presidential ticket from any other party, including the APC. He said the former governor’s influence in Kano State is overrated following defections from the Kwankwasiya Movement.

“Kwankwaso does not have the selling capacity like President Bola Tinubu nationwide, with his alleged one million votes in Kano State,” Olaposi stated. “President Tinubu and the APC’s appeal for 2027 is based on performance as the ruling party, not undue influence. Kwankwaso’s influence as a former governor of Kano is long gone and cannot affect Tinubu’s votes in 2027.”

He further urged political parties seeking alliances with the NNPP in 2027 to negotiate through the party’s National Working Committee, which has been endorsed by the courts.

“Kwankwaso and his group remain expelled and cannot negotiate for the NNPP. All alliances in 2027 will be decided by the National Working Committee,” Olaposi concluded.