Obi, Kwankwaso presidential tie suffer blows, as Biafra agitations attract wild reactions
…IPOB reacts, warns Kwankwaso, distances its agitation from Obi
…Kwankwaso statement situated out of context — NNPP
By Moses Adeniyi
The consideration of a tie between the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has continued to attract hostilities from supporters, as the question of who bows for who has become controversial.
The duo, Obi and Kwankwaso, who are both former Governors of Anambra and Kano State respectively, have been considered for a match to pull support from the South and the North for a possible victory in the 2023 presidential election.
The fortune of Obi who has recently leveraged online network with teeming social media supporters, has been said would pull a strong base from the North should a tie be made with Kwankwaso.
However, a statement by Kwankwaso on Sunday that the South East will not allow Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), become his running mate had attracted wild reactions.
Kwankwaso had while speaking with journalists after inaugurating the state office of the NNPP in Gombe State, said even if Obi accepts to become his Vice-Presidential candidate, people from his region will reject it.
“Even if my friend [Peter Obi] wants to accept the vice-presidential candidate, some people in the South-East will not accept, that is not strategic.
“This is a golden opportunity, if they lose it, it will be a disaster,” Kwankwaso had said.
Meanwhile, featuring on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Kwankwaso had said that the activities of Biafra agitators in the South-East will not allow him become the running mate of Peter Obi of the Labour Party in the forthcoming presidential election.
Kwankwaso who said that ordinarily he would have considered to be Obi’s running mate, since he (Kwankwaso) is currently jobless, maintained that northern voters will never vote any presidential candidate from the South-East.
He had said those asking him to become Obi’s running mate are enemies, who already know what the outcome would be.
“That is what the enemy outside there is saying [that I should be running mate to Peter Obi]. The implication is that if you put somebody from the South-East, unfortunately, there are many issues in the South-East.
“You see, the northern voter is the worst hit in this issue of maladministration In this country. But even in that circumstance, the northern voter believes he is better off with one united Nigeria.
“Therefore, most of the things that are happening in the South, especially the South-East, people are not comfortable with that and as long as you have anybody from there in any party, it would be very difficult for the northern voter to vote.”
When asked if he would desire to be Obi’s running mate, the former Governor added, “You see, I’m jobless now. I’m not doing any job. So becoming a vice president (why not?).”
…IPOB reacts, warns Kwankwaso, distances its agitation from Obi
Irked by Kwankwaso’s fingers pointed to Biafra agitation, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Tuesday asked him to desist from linking IPOB with Peter Obi, his political ambition and campaign, arguing that Obi is not a member of IPOB nor supports IPOB’s agitation for self-determination struggle.
The group which asked Kwankwaso to refrain from involving it in Nigerian election processes and selection, held that if he (Kwankwaso) is threatened by Labour Party and Obi’s teeming support, he should go forward and settle his differences and stop linking IPOB to their problem.
A statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful entitled, “Former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, shamelessly stop ranting and push for reality” told the ex-Kano State Governor that IPOB has no interest in what it called “the Nigerian morally decadent and fantastically corrupt political system and landscape.”
IPOB statement read, “The global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, under the command and leadership of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to advise the former Governor Kano State Rabiu Kwankwoso, not to involve IPOB in their selection process they call election in Nigeria.
“The Nigerian politicians generally and Kwankwaso, in particular, should desist from linking IPOB with Peter Obi, his political ambition and campaign. Peter Obi is not an IPOB member, never supported our agitation for freedom at any time because he pursues a totally different goal from that of the IPOB.
“We have no interest in the Nigerian morally decadent and fantastically corrupt political system and landscape. If Kwankwaso is threatened by Labour Party and Peter Obi’s teeming support by the creative and talented but downtrodden, neglected, deceived, deprived, killed (#EndSARS) Nigerian youths from even the North which your generation do not have any good intentions for, then he should go, forward and settle his differences and stop linking IPOB to their problem.
“IPOB is not interested in the worthless politics you play in Nigeria, we don’t regard such daylight robbery, fraud, manipulation and selection as election. Maybe there is something Kwankwaso is not telling the world.
“Instead of saying the truth that because he is Fulani with the (born to rule mentality) he cannot play the second fiddle to a Southern Christian presidential candidate, he has the temerity to associate our hallowed liberation movement with the shameless murky waters of the Zoo politics.
“IPOB is not concerned with the waves of this election, we have never asked for nor say anything contrary to our goal and demand, what we need is referendum and referendum we must have.
“There are no middle ways for us as a people as far as our liberty and freedom is concerned. There is therefore nothing anybody can do to change our resolve towards our stated goal which is the restoration of Biafra.
“If there is a region to avoid due to criminality with terrorism, it is the Northern Nigeria which sponsors several terrorist groups as joint venture partners, recycles them in the military and ministries, you should feel non-Northerners pulses when they helplessly tag along with you people to ascertain the sensitivity of their irritations and pounding of hearts in silent prayers for safety.
“IPOB is a disciplined movement and we do not speak from both sides of the mouth. Our singular objective is to extricate our people from the debilitating environment that prevents Biafrans from attaining our fullest potential as human beings, exit from the contraption called Nigeria and be able to determine our fate through putting to use our intrinsic endowments and ingenuity in an enabling environment in a free and Independent Biafran Nation.
“Peter Obi is not a member of IPOB and he is neither agitating or in support of our Self-Determination struggle. Why associate him with IPOB’s struggle for freedom?
“IPOB does not know who Peter Obi is, going by our biodata bank. Our demand is our inalienable rights to self determination and this we seek through a universally recognised and accepted political process called REFERENDUM as stipulated by the United Nations Charter.
“IPOB wish to use this medium and opportunity to warn every politician in Nigeria to desist from linking IPOB with their politics and selection process because we are not politicians and have no common interest. We are freedom fighters.”
Kwankwaso statement situated out of context – NNPP
Meanwhile, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) dismissed reports that its presidential candidate, Kwankwaso described the Igbo and the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Obi as incapable of winning elections, noting that the report was “falsely credited” to the former.
According to the report, Kwankwaso, while inaugurating the Party’s Gombe State Executive last week, was quoted to have said that the South East (Igbo People) are good in business but at the bottom of politics in Nigeria.
A reaction against the position by its National Chairman, Prof. Rufa’I Ahmed Alkali, observed that “the said attribution is said to have generated some ill feelings in some political circles in Nigeria, especially between the South East and the NNPP.”
He maintained that the party or its Presidential candidate would not in any way malign any zone or any individual as “we believe that NNPP desires the votes of all the zones and all electorate to govern Nigeria.
“The NNPP wishes to categorically state that the statement of its Presidential Candidate, Senator Kwankwaso at the occasion was situated out of context, as the NNPP Presidential candidate has always emphasised that the Igbos were frontrunners in the fight for the nation’s struggle for independence, and had produced the first President of the country in the person of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of the Senate, Dr. Nwafor Orizu, former Vice President, late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, four former Presidents of the Senate from 1999 to date and other top political office holders.
“NNPP as a political party on the ballot in 2023 believes that it has what it takes like some other political parties to rejuvenate the present situation of the country and will not in any way disparage any zone or people of any political party.
“It is pertinent to state that the discussions with any political party or individual is an ongoing thing that would bring the desired change of a new Nigeria.
“However, the party or its Presidential candidate would not in any way malign any zone or any individual as we believe that we (NNPP) desire the votes of all the zones and all electorate to govern Nigeria.
“We want to state that NNPP will canvass votes from all Geo-political zones to win the 2023 Presidential election and would not in any way consider any zone less as we have supporters and candidates all over the country,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, amidst the consideration, ex-militant Founder of Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force, Asari Dokubo, on Tuesday alleged Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, is defrauding Nigerians with lies.
Dokubo on Facebook via his Dokubo Asari Justice Foundation page, mentioned that the OBI-dient movement of the former Anambra State governor cannot succeed “because it is going nowhere.”
Dokubo claimed that Obi cannot contend at the polls against his counterparts from the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP — Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, respectively.
Obi’s tie with Kwankwaso has been observed to be a formidable one should the duo reach an agreement. This, nonetheless, has not been without constraints challenging such possibility.
