The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has turned down an invitation to appear at an interactive session for presidential candidates organised by Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna.
In a statement signed by his campaign spokesperson, Abdulmumini Jibrin, on Sunday, Mr Kwankwaso accused the Arewa Joint Committee, of being biased and having concluded plans to endorse one of the presidential candidates.
The Arewa Joint Committee is made up of representatives from frontline northern groups such as the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Ahmadu Bello Foundation (ABF), Arewa Research and Development Project, and Jamiyyar Matan Arewa.
The programme, which started on Saturday, was attended by Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Adewale Adeboye of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and the NNPP candidate, were billed to appear before the committee on Monday.
But Mr Jibrin claimed the NNPP has credible information that the event is compromised.
The party warned the organisers of the programme that endorsing a candidate from the region will only result in further disuniting the north and compound the challenges the region is already facing.
“We have credible information in our possession that shows that some people have been compromised and these people have concluded plans to turn the event into an endorsement platform for a particular candidate,” Mr Jibrin said without mentioning the name of the candidate.
“We believe that it is very wrong for any group to clandestinely plan to endorse any candidate in the name of the North, especially when we have more than one candidate from our region.
We are therefore advising you not to do anything that will ridicule the legacies of Sir Ahmadu Bello and other famous Northern Leaders like Sir Tafawa Balewa, Malam Aminu Kano, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, and JS Tarka, etc. by attempting to endorse an unpopular candidate at the expense of a more competent, more experienced and more credible one.
“We note that the earlier date was even postponed and a new date was fixed to coincide with the date of the rally of one of the presidential candidates in Kaduna.
This further gives credence to the information in our possession that the event is being financed by that candidate.
“In the circumstance, and based on the above observations, our candidate will be unable to honour your invitation,” the NNPP’s presidential campaign spokesperson said.
‘Baseless allegations’
Meanwhile, Murtala Aliyu, the ACF secretary general told the Cable that the NNPP’s allegations are baseless because the event was not meant to endorse any candidate.
Mr Aliyu, who is the chairman of the steering committee of the programme, challenged the NNPP to produce evidence to corroborate the allegations.
“I have not seen any candidate one on one. I have not received any donations from any candidate one on one or collectively or formally or informally.
“I was taken aback when I saw it. The six groups (that makes up the Joint Arewa Committee) polled resources together to organise the programme,” the newspaper quoted the ACF’s scribe, Mr Aliyu, as saying.
