The Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State, Hashimu Dungurawa, has dismissed rumours of the defection of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying emphatically that Kwankwaso would never align himself with what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s “failed government.”

Dungurawa made this known on Friday in response to a statement from the APC office in Kano, which claimed that Kwankwaso and his supporters were set to decamp to the ruling party.

He said, “Even those of us in a strong opposition party, who never voted for Tinubu, and even those in the APC itself, will not vote for him again.”

The NNPP chairman also questioned the credibility of the claims, asking, “If Kwankwaso was to decamp to the APC, would he need messengers like the APC Chairman in Kano to actualize his intentions?

“Kwankwaso does not need to consult anyone before making any political decision. Don’t forget that he was among the founding fathers of the APC and operates at a high level. Not even Ganduje, let alone Abbas, would be consulted if he truly intended to return to the party.”

Dungurawa stressed that the NNPP has no business with the APC and no intention of joining the party, dismissing the rumours as “mischief” and “a product of desperation.”

He further stated that the APC’s claim was baseless, noting that the ruling party was only acting out of fear, knowing the extent of the damage they had done to the country.

“There’s no gainsaying the fact that the APC government has plunged Nigeria into terrible uncertainty. Everything is becoming highly difficult for the citizens to access.

“Tinubu has destroyed virtually everything. Education, healthcare, food, and shelter are no longer accessible to ordinary citizens, while petroleum prices remain outrageously high. So tell me, what is attractive about this administration that would make anyone want to join them?” he asked.

Dungurawa expressed confidence that the NNPP is growing stronger by the day and would soon become a dominant force in Nigerian politics, with the presidency as its ultimate goal.

He predicted that the APC would perform poorly in the next general elections, saying, “During the last elections, they won about 8 million votes, but I bet you, in the next elections, they won’t even get 5 million votes nationwide. NNPP will become the darling party and the winning party.”

His comments followed remarks by the APC Chairman in Kano, Abdullahi Abbas, who had earlier announced that the party had opened its doors to new defectors.