A merger between the NNPP and Peter Obi’s LP, according to Kwankwaso, may not succeed.

Rabiu Kwankwanso, a former governor of Kano State and the NNPP’s presidential candidate, outlined why the projected coalition between his group and the Labour Party (LP) is unworkable.

When speaking to party supporters in Gombe on Saturday, Kwankwanso intimated that the existence of his party prevented him from accepting to be anyone’s running partner.

In preparation for the general elections in 2023, discussions of an alliance between the NNPP and LP have taken place.

Many Nigerians had advocated for the Obi-Kwankwanso combined ticket as a means of ousting the country’s two most powerful political parties in light of the current APC administration’s egregious failures.

Speaking about the development, Kwankwanso said Peter Obi’s running mate would be the only option.

He emphasised that it would increase South East Asia’s chances of winning the presidency in the upcoming years.

He said: “From the discussion with Labour Party, the main issue was who becomes the president if the parties merge.

“At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be a criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance and so on.

“Of course the other side wouldn’t want that. Most of the people from there believe that presidency has to go the South-East.

“If now I decide to be vice presidential candidate to anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse, because the party is based on what we have built in the last 30 years.

“I served for 17 years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work that is what is rarely holding NNPP now.

Kwankwanso charged the South-East on internal unity in order to boost their chances of producing a president.

“Even if Peter Obi wants to accept vice presidential candidate, some people in the South-East will not accept, that is not strategic. This is a golden opportunity, if they lose it, it will be a disaster.

“We have options in the NNPP in the South to pick a good vice president and one of them is the Labour Party Peter Obi you are talking about.