Chief Shittu Moshood Asiwaju, Deputy National Campaign Secretary (North) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), discusses the party’s preparations for the upcoming presidential election. He stated that his party is in the race to win because the ruling APC has failed miserably, as evidenced by the hardships endured by Nigerians. He spoke with Matthew Tabe from QUEST TIMES.
What are the strategic arrangements of your party’s presidential candidate, Kwankwaso to win the election?
There are no special strategic plans in place to address the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government has failed miserably in light of the hardships that Nigerians are currently experiencing. Naira mentions saga, insecurity, and inflation when discussing fuel scarcity. Nigerians’ mindset has shifted from how we have previously played the game. The politics of vote-buying by moneybags and other things that easily move the masses is over, and the masses and majority of voters on the street have been cajoled.
Nobody can be swayed to vote for a particular candidate who will move the country forward with N2,000 or N3,000. We travelled around campaigning in about 500 local government areas, particularly in the north where I am; we were able to go into the old Northern region and only a few places that I cannot say we were able to reach due to insecurity. Even in some areas, if you see the people’s lives, where the government is absent in the form of a poor road network, a lack of electricity, and other infrastructure, you will feel sorry for them. People at the grassroots, on the other hand, are confident that our Presidential Candidate will deliver, as evidenced by his track record.
There are speculations that Kwankwaso is very popular in North West and North Central but not well grounded in the Northeast?
The assertion that Kwankwaso is unpopular throughout the North is false. Even the PDP presidential candidate hails from Jada Local Government Area in Adamawa state, so go see for yourself and hear what the people have to say about the North-East. The presidential election results will be announced in a few weeks, and they will find out who will be their president.
Kwankwaso will be the next President, I assure you. The people in that zone had the vice president, but they never felt him. We’re even talking about the Northern part of the country now, Kwankwaso was in Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta, and if you see a large crowd in those places, you know what we’re talking about. Our concern is that the majority of these people have been funding media propaganda. We are also urging the media to be cautious in order to report credible results during the elections.
How will you respond to the allegations that your party is concluding arrangement to merge its structures with that of the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu?
This is one of the political ploys used by all parties. We heard not only from the APC, but also from the PDP, a few weeks ago, that the PDP and our candidate were in talks to merge. We even heard from the PDP’s Presidential candidate that there are plans to merge with our candidate. These are political advertisements for the parties because they have nothing to offer or tell Nigerians. I don’t see Kwankwaso, who is accepted everywhere, including by the less privileged and business leaders, joining forces with any candidate because they know that their businesses can only thrive if they have someone like Kwankwaso as President to provide a favorable environment for them to thrive.
A common man today understands that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is the only candidate who can help them with governance. So, we’re confident that we’ll win the elections. Only when they want to collaborate with us can they collapse their structures to join us; everyone wants to identify themselves, despite all the speculations and beating around the bush. They know Kwankwaso is grounded everywhere, and everyone they meet says it’s Kwankwaso. They are well aware that they have failed Nigerians, so we will not collapse our structure and join any of these people.
Nigerians are passing through hardship in accessing the new Naira notes. What is your perspective on this development?
This new Naira note is government policy, and we urge the government to make the new notes available to the public. But some people must not have their way at the detriment of the poor masses. We are telling them that if they say they have access to this money to use and buy votes during the election period, we are advising the electorates to collect their money and not vote them into power.
What is your take on the lingering fuel scarcity and insecurity despite the fact that INEC is reassuring Nigerians that they are prepared for the general elections?
Today’s candidates are all clamoring for long-term solutions to the country’s scarcity and insecurity. Our candidate, in particular, is working tirelessly to get Nigerians out of this mess. If we say that elections should not be held or that we should continue in this manner, these vices will persist. The only thing left is to go through the pains of holding elections in order to change the government. Only when we gain power will we be able to address and resolve these issues. We have a plan in place to address these issues without wasting time.
Our candidate has extensive public sector experience, having served as a former Minister, Governor, Lawmaker, and Civil Servant. He is well-positioned to provide social services and address the country’s insecurity. Before drafting this manifesto, we conducted extensive research and analysis.
What will your party do different from APC, PDP, LP among others. Perhaps, if your Candidate is elected the President of Nigeria what will he prioritize at this critical moment?
Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is the most qualified presidential candidate among the other candidates, based on his track record in key positions in this country. When it comes to the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, he was the vice president for eight years and has nothing to show for it to his grassroots supporters. Also, we’re hearing today that bullion vans are entering Bola Tinubu’s compound, which is a sign of corruption. Tinubu’s health is also affecting him.
So we’re convinced that the difference is not something you can compare about the status of our own candidate and theirs in terms of physical and mental stability. As I previously stated, we have an outstanding manifesto to provide infrastructure development, improve the economy, and strengthen human power.
How do you perceive the February elections at your state, Kwara?
Well, in my state, Kwara, you can see the current administration’s underdevelopment, particularly in Kwara North. During our campaign trips with our candidate to Kwara, we visited Okuta, Kaiama, Illesa-barba, and other places in Kwara North, and we saw the bad roads and dilapidated educational facilities. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has promised to address all of these issues as soon as he is elected.
You can also see Prof. Shuaib Oba, our Governorship Candidate in Kwara state, and his predecessors when he was the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, and Kwarans benefited greatly. In terms of leadership quality, you can compare him to any of the 2023 Governorship Candidates in Kwara state today.
What is your advice to Nigerians considering the fact that elections are next two week?
We’re appealing to Nigerians to come out en mass to vote Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. We should not submit ourselves cheaply to their evil plans especially on the issue of vote-buying. They are trying to present themselves different from their party as you can see how they contest, criticizing same party. They will tell you their party has failed and the person coming out will do something new. So, I don’t know how their party constitution will change the ideology and present something new from the mess we are witnessing. There is a lot of confusion everywhere among them.