Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has described as mischievous, the reports saying he would step down for anyone in the 2023 presidency race.

Speaking with journalists in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Sunday, Kwankwaso described the report as “absolute rubbish.

“Some people are terribly mischievous and I don’t see how any of these four political parties at this critical time will accept joining one another. There are some elements making mischievous postings and insults on social media, but we believe in sportsmanship and we are out for good campaign.

“To say NNPP will join or withdraw for APC or PDP is absolutely rubbish; it can’t happen. Some are envisaging that there will not be an outright winner in the first round of the presidential election but from our own camp, we believe that we are going to win during the first round of the presidential election because we have the people.

“Some people are saying Kwankwaso’s political base is Kano state and I am so happy about that because Kano is not a small state in terms of millions of registered voters, some are saying Northwest and others are saying the North is the only base for Kwankwaso but they are making a mistake. Unfortunately, some people are now campaigning on social media; they have employed irresponsible people talking about things that they know is not true but we have kept on telling their masters. To say that anyone of us is withdrawing for the other, everybody knows that is absolutely impossible.

“Don’t forget that six months ago, there was nothing like NNPP; it was when we joined that it became the force that it is today and from now to another six months, only God knows what this party will become,” he said.

Kwankwaso further said Nigerians had realised that the country is on the verge of collapse, stating that the indices are there for people to see.

“The people of goodwill are now saying, how do we get out of it because nobody wants this country to collapse and that’s is why you see people coming into the movement to rescue the country. You see these parties, the PDP and APC, I was a founding member of all the two but they have derailed completely and that is why some of us had to leave and bring in a new thing; that was why we brought NNPP and people are buying into it. I am so happy because before yesterday nobody gave us any chance in Borno State, but I can tell you with if what I saw yesterday, if they are the only people who will vote for us in this state, we will win this election,” he said. (Daily Trust)

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