By Henry Umoru & John Alechenu

THE national leadership of New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has said those clamouring that the 2023 presidential candidate must come from the South should understand that power is not allocated but fought for.

Recall that leaders of thoughts, elder statesmen from four of the six geo-political zones of the country, under the aegis of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, led by former Federal Commissioner for Information and South South Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, have been advocating that the Presidency must shift to the South in 2023.

But speaking with journalists in an interactive session in Abuja in weekend, National Chairman of NNPP, Professor Ahmed Alkali, said everyone desirous of contesting for any position should be free to do so, adding that though President Muhammadu Buhari was from the same North West as NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, he was not a member of the APC.

Alkali noted that NNPP had what it takes to win the 2023 presidential election as Nigerians were now wiser and wouldreject money politics.

Asked if Kwakwanso was working for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alkali, who faulted the claim, accused members of the ruling APC of  thriving on  propaganda, insisting that the ruling party must be prepared to explain to Nigerians what it did with the economy in its eight years in office.

Alkali, who noted that the NNPP presidential candidate had a better political credentials than all others, having been governor, senator, minister and deputy speaker House of Representatives, said the former Kano State governor was in the race because of his desire to change the cause of things in the country and not for personal aggrandizement.

On the dumping of the NNPP by former Kano State governor, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, who represents Kano Central, Alkali said there was no official resignation letter to the party from the senator, adding that politics was dynamic and that once the party got the letter, an action would be taken at the most appropriate time.

Alkali said:  “the party is yet to receive an official communication from the former governor, the former governor must have his reasons for leaving the party.”

Why Shekarau is returning to PDP – AIDE

Meanwhile, Senator Shekarau’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Sule Ya’u Sule, said yesterday that his principal was set to formally dump the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and return to  Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

”If everything works according to plan, the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, will receive the former Kano State Governor, at a ceremony in Kano, on Monday (today),” he said.

He explained that his principal was dumping the NNPP, following acts of serial betrayal and breach of agreements by the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Sule said:  “It is true. It is no longer a secret, Mallam (Shekarau) and his supporters are joining the PDP.