Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has doused tensions amongst his supporters emanating from his rumoured defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), saying he is still a bona fide member of the main opposition party despite talks with the leadership of the NNPP.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Sunday night, Kwankwaso, who teamed up with other politicians to launch a new group known as The National Movement, (TNM), said he had not moved from the PDP despite the formation of the Movement and ongoing talks with the NNPP.
Kwankwaso noted that the new Movement is for “patriotic Nigerians who believe that there is a need to change the system introduced since 1999 to one that will benefit the people of Nigeria.”
“As we speak, I am still in the PDP. I am still a bona fide member of the PDP,” he said.
“We started The Movement step by step. The first was to withdraw to the background, thinking some people within the party will want to hear our grievances, but the party didn’t do anything.
We joined the group and still nothing was done by the party, now we are at the level of a political party.
“Even as I speak with you, we are still between a group and a political party, and I have not left the PDP, but this group has linked up with the NNPP.
“Whenever I am quitting the PDP, you will be among the first to know because we are carefully following our programme.
“The issue is not about Rabi’u Kwankwaso or Kwankwasiyya movement. It is about ‘The National Movement’ and we are many in it, and most of the people in the movement are big people, so I can’t take any decision alone,” he said.