*** ‘We will shock those who take us for granted’
National chairman, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Professor Rufai Ahmad Alkali has distanced the party from the zoning controversy that has been rocking the two foremost political Parties.
Speaking on Saturday during a press conference held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja he said,
“This party is going beyond the issue of zoning, we want to carry everybody along so what we are going to have, we will have inclusive Government”
He said they have inaugurated a committee two days earlier to fashion out the mechanisms that will make it easy to carry everybody along
“For now we are not going to enter into unnecessary controversies with political parties who came up with rotation and zoning but who also violated them.
“They came up with the concept. The only thing you must know is that they are violating it because these issues have not been captured in the Nigerian constitution, that is why some of them are at liberty, today they say zoning tomorrow they say no zoning. NNPP is not part of it”
According to Rufai, NNPP will shock those who take it for granted as he reiterated the fact that the party is not a third force but foremost
“It is pertinent to remind you all that this great political party, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was formed over 21 years ago.
“However, ahead of the 2023 general election, we have taken far reaching steps to re-launch and reposition the party as one of the major political parties in the country.
“Given the massive support we have received and continue to receive so far from people across the country, we are very confident and optimistic that very soon and in no distant future it would move from its current ranking as the ‘third force’ to the top in Nigeria’s political space
“So far, in the last few months, the party has successfully conducted ward congresses in all the local government areas across the country; the local government congresses; the state congress and national convention were also conducted peacefully on March 30th which produced the National Leaders of the party.”
He said they are bold to say that their presence is now felt in all the 774 local government areas as Nigerians continue to embrace the party in bewildering and astonishing circumstances beyond imaginations.
“We the NNPP as social Democrats are desirous of opening the political space for all Nigerians. “Thus that was precisely why in order to encourage the youths, women and people living with disabilities, the party announced zero Kobo for the purchase of the Expression of Interest Form and a 50% discount for the Nomination Form.
“This is a complete departure from those plutocrats who are asking Nigerians to cough out over N100 million just to purchase a piece of paper whose value is no better than the value of the paper upon which the humongous amount was written.
He indicated that the NNPP is the only party in Nigeria that has offered the youths less than 35 years of age fifty percent discount for the purchase of nomination forms.
This he said has led to an upsurge of youths to the party adding that the party is equal to the task as it has put in place all measures to avoid rancour during the forthcoming Primary election.”
According to him, the party has started the process of rebuilding their structures across country.
“As I stated earlier, we started from the wards to the Local Governments, to States, to the Zones and finally at the national level. We now have fresh ward structures all over the country.
“As you are all aware, since 1999, the political landscape in the country has been dominated largely by two political behemoth but has gradually and systematically lost touch with the realities on the ground.
“This is why today they are enmeshed in free for all cut-throat do or die politics. They have utterly forgotten the people and the soul of the nation.
“Unfortunately, with less than one year to the end of the current administration and despite several promises made to Nigerians, and the massive resources squandered, there has been no solution to the issue of insecurity of lives and properties in the country.