Is NNPP winking in the dark?

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has continued to insist it is in the race for 2023 presidency for victory. They may be seeing what many watchers of Nigeria’s political space are not seeing, at least, for now. The NNPP says its strategies are quite different from what other parties are adopting. For instance, when he appeared on the Channels Television Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, Isaac Idahosa, a bishop and vice presidential candidate of the party, claimed that the NNPP was keeping its winning strategies close to its chest. He emphasised that the party was going to win the presidential election, saying that there has been a massive edcampment of Nigerians who were tired of their original parties, to the NNPP. When asked how the party’s manifesto was resonating with the youth, he said that the young people were solidly queuing behind the party.

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Some months ago, many Nigerians had said it was going to be a four-horse race on February 25, with Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the NNPP, being one of the front runners, but from the look of things, it would seem that the party has “fallen off the tangent”, making the race now look like a three-horse race. Idahosa emphatically debunked insinuations that the party may be planning on dissolving in bigger and more vibrant party as the days draw nearer. He flatly said: “We will never play the second fiddle. NNPP is the party to beat. Anybody trying to align with the NNPP must come behind us and not the other way round.” It needs to be emphasised that elections are not won on the basis of being optimistic. It calls for serious work and commitment. The Vice Presidential candidate said at the Channels programme that the party was touching base with many parts of the country, influential individuals and the electorate. But many Nigerians appear not to be “feeling the party”. The question on the lips of many people is “where is the NNPP; are they still in the race?” From the look of things, it would seem that the NNPP is winking in the dark except the party is reserving its Joker for the eleventh hour. Nothing is impossible!