Former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has left the door open for a dramatic return to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
He declared that he has not ruled out rejoining the ruling party if certain conditions are met.
Kwankwaso, speaking in Hausa during an interactive session with supporters on Thursday, said he would be willing to work with the APC again only if there are binding agreements that his political base would be fully recognised and rewarded.
“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? If you say we should join APC, we agree to it, but tell us what the NNPP will get. Give us the answer, and we will agree to join,” Kwankwaso stated.
The former Kano governor recalled that he and his loyalists were among the founding leaders of the APC, but said they were sidelined under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“During the APC’s 8 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.
Kwankwaso also accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of treating him with disregard, saying he left because “even PDP couldn’t give us a Zonal Chairman.”
He added that the neglect by both major parties forced him to find refuge in the NNPP, where he claimed he and his allies have “gained value” and no longer feel desperate to join another platform.
“When I was in the APC or PDP, they didn’t value me. We were working for irresponsible people, and when they won elections, they did not consider us or value us. 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,” he declared.