The National Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Mr Ogini Olaposi, has declared that the party’s former presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will not be permitted to contest the 2027 presidential election on the NNPP platform.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos, Olaposi said the NNPP’s presidential ticket for 2027 would be open exclusively to bona fide party members, stressing that the circumstances surrounding the 2023 election would not be repeated.
He explained that Kwankwaso’s exclusion stems from unresolved disagreements between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement. According to him, the Memorandum of Understanding entered into by both groups in 2022 expired after the 2023 general election.
Olaposi further alleged that anti-party activities by members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement after the election led to the expulsion of several prominent figures, including Kwankwaso and Elder Buba Galadima, noting that the expulsions remain in force.
“The NNPP ticket for 2027 is open to all qualified members, unlike in 2023 when it was exclusively ceded to Kwankwaso,” Olaposi said. “We already have interested presidential aspirants, including two from the diaspora, and we are open to more, as well as to strategic alliances.”
He added that the party was willing to collaborate with like-minded political parties ahead of the 2027 elections, but insisted that any such discussions must be conducted through the NNPP’s National Working Committee.
Reacting to comments attributed to Kwankwaso suggesting he would only defect to a party willing to offer him a presidential ticket, Olaposi dismissed the claim as unrealistic. He argued that Kwankwaso no longer commands significant nationwide appeal and that his political influence in Kano State has diminished, citing defections of key Kwankwasiyya figures to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Olaposi maintained that President Bola Tinubu and the APC would rely on governance performance rather than personal influence in the 2027 polls, adding that Kwankwaso’s past standing as Kano State governor would not affect voting outcomes in the state.
He reiterated that Kwankwaso and his associates remain expelled from the NNPP and lack the authority to negotiate on behalf of the party. “All alliances for 2027 will be determined by the NNPP National Working Committee, which has been affirmed by the courts,” he said.
The development comes amid reports that opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress, are courting prominent political figures ahead of 2027. Kwankwaso recently indicated his readiness to join any opposition coalition prepared to offer him either the presidential or vice-presidential ticket while addressing supporters in Kano.
