Posted by President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fire for not doing enough to ensure free, fair, and credible elections, according to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s (NNPP) presidential candidate in the recently held presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday, February 25.
As well as claiming that the results of the presidential election never accurately represented Nigerians’ preferences, Kwakwanso claimed that the level of alleged vote-buying, the use of guns to intimidate the populace, and the level of irregularities recorded would have resulted in the elections being called off in civilized nations around the world.
He has, however, pleaded with the judiciary to always remain as the last hope of the common man and not a repeat of number four becoming number one thanks to the Supreme Court, expressing fears that it may be another ball game now.
He spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party’s first meeting following the 2023 elections.
The ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was accused of rigging some states’ general elections, particularly the presidential election, by the former governor and senator of Kano State.
He merely stated that “the minds of Nigerians are not reflected” in the election.
He claimed that the NNPP is a party for the future given its performance despite its tardy entry into politics and age of almost a year, given that many Nigerians are prepared to join it before 2027, even as he bemoaned the fact that Nigerians were not permitted to experience the “positive change” they desired.
Therefore, Kwankwaso, who also serves as the party’s National Leader, urged the NNPP’s leadership to make the most of the opportunity before the subsequent round of elections in 2027 in order to “tighten their belts, go back to constituency, and work more effectively.”.
“We have four years to reposition the party so that it can bring Nigerians positive change.
“We joined this party only a year ago, and based on the performance thus far, I think we can all take pride in ourselves.
“We’ve done well, but what’s even more significant is that almost everyone now thinks the NNPP is the party of the future.
“Some people came to see me right after the election to tell me that we have finally seen the light, and before 2027 they are going to join our party.
“The challenge of the time is very critical because this is the first time in the history of this country that we have a party, especially after the establishment of the two parties across the country, that within the shortest amount of time, had this kind of popularity based on the integrity, hard work, and commitment to this country.
“I think it’s time to congratulate ourselves and buckle up to head back to our districts and work even harder.
“I also think that now that we have more time to plan and advance the party, more people can be accommodated as members and leadership at different levels of the party at the states, and even in terms of number and quality so that Nigerians can have an opportunity to experience the positive change that our party, the NNPP, stands for in this nation. “.
NAN.