Kwankwaso’s Comment On Obi, Igbos Misunderstood – NNPP

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said that its presidential candidate’s comment deemed to be arrogant and condescending to people of the South-East was misinterpreted.

The NNPP chairman, Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali, made the clarification on Tuesday following the backlash that trailed the comment on social media.

The party’s candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was reported as saying he was offering the South-East “a golden opportunity” by asking the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to be his running mate in 2023.

This website reported that about 24 hours after making the comment, Kwankwaso appeared on Channels TV’s ‘Sunday Politics’ where he made a similar remark.

“I have seen an opportunity of the South East to be relevant in the next dispensation,” the NNPP candidate said on the programme, referring to his offer to Obi to be his running mate.

The remarks generated backlash from some Nigerians on social media.

I call on all well-meaning Nigerian to request @KwankwasoRM to openly retract those comments as well as apologise to Nigerian and in particular all the young people who’ve watched that interview as it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and bad precedence

We must do better

— Chymaker.𝛑 (@chymaker) July 5, 2022

Kwankwaso had a lifetime opportunity of going on air to sell himself to Nigerians.
What did he do instead, he cane on air to fan the flame of ethnic & tribal sentiments against a region and to lecture us on why Peter Obi will not win the 2023 election.
What a manifesto!!!

— CAPTAIN (@ThisIsPOU) July 5, 2022

National Politics doesn't suit Kwankwaso. Man mocked the entire South East in a live interview with Channels TV.

— Abdul-Aziz Na'ibi Abubakar (@jrnaib2) July 4, 2022

Clarifying the remarks, Alkali said the NNPP candidate had always “emphasized” the contribution of Igbos to the nation and that his comments were taken out of context.

His words: “Dr. Mohammed Rabiu Musa 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,” the NNPP chairman said.

“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.

“However, as a party that is desirous to change the situation of the country, we believe that no Nigerian of any geopolitical zone, tribe, ethnic nationality, or religious persuasion is least on the rung of the ladder in the whole effort to bring the desired change in the country.

“The NNPP wishes to categorically state the statement of its presidential candidate Senator Kwankwaso at the occasion was situated out of contest (sic), as the NNPP Presidential candidate has always emphasized 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.”