Alkali, a former presidential adviser on political affairs to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, disclosed this in Lagos at a news conference on Wednesday.
Prof. Rufa’i Alkali, National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said the party is open to alliances with others ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Alkali, a former presidential adviser on political affairs to ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, disclosed this in Lagos at a news conference on Wednesday.
A recent move by NNPP and Labour Party to form an alliance fell through. A former Kano governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso and former governor of Anambra are the presidential candidates of the NNPP and Labour Party respectively.
“Parties who want to discuss with the NNPP must do so as an equal partner and must share our views on the future of the country.
“All parties are equal before the law.
“We are talking about the future of Nigeria,” Alkali, a former national publicity secretary of the PDP said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Alkali decried the lack of sophistication in political negotiations in Nigeria, saying parties should not come for negotiation with the sole option that Kwankwaso should step down his ambition for them.
According to him, when parties negotiate, they have to first try to understand each other, and what they have in common–ideals, vision, manifestos, aim and others.
Parties should also agree on the level of the alliance, either at the level of the house of assembly, representatives, senate, governorship or presidential, he said.
The chairman, however, said that Nigeria cannot afford to make mistakes in 2023 regarding the election of leaders, stating that the NNPP would usher in fresh ideas on building the nation’s economy if elected.
“NNPP is a Nigeria project and will usher in a spontaneous change in the nation’s polity,” he said.
He noted that the NNPP remained the fastest growing political party in Nigeria and would soon get the support of the majority of Nigerians nationwide.
On power rotation, the scholar said that the concept of zoning is the bane of the nation’s polity.
“What Nigeria needs is leadership that people can trust and will deliver,” Alkali, a professor of political science and economy said.
On the controversy regarding whether a party should have a Muslim-Muslim ticket, that is Muslim presidential candidate and vice-presidential candidate, the NNPP chairman said it is the prerogative of the presidential candidate to choose their running mate, noting that what should matter most should be tackling Nigeria’s challenges.
“If we want this country to change, we must move beyond zoning and religious discourse.
“We have passed the stage of contradictions of zoning and religious sentiments,” he said.