By John Ikani
A former Governor of Kano State and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, Saturday, confirmed that his party is in talks with Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi for possibility of forming a merger.
A merger could present the presidential candidate of both political parties on a joint ticket.
Kwankwaso made this revelation during an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Saturday, June 18.
“We are really talking to Peter Obi, or at least saying that the committee is working to look into the matter (and cooperate with him), and friends and family are coming to talk to us about it.”
Obi and Kwankwaso have both attracted a large following in major parts of the country since they declared their presidential aspirations.
Mr Obi had recently defected from the PDP and joined the Labour Party and has endeared himself to large youth following in the southern part of the country.
Kwankwaso has a history of playing a key role in setting up political alliances to win elections.
In the build up to the 2015 elections, Kwankwaso was among the governors that worked for the ouster of former President Goodluck Jonathan and formed the new-PDP before most of them joined the newly formed APC where President Muhammadu Buhari won in 2015.
Already, the NNPP has a growing membership base in the north. Prominent members of the movement who have registered with the NNPP include a former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, and President Buhari’s estranged right-hand man, Buba Galadima.
