The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, says it has shelved presidential ticket for the 2027 general elections, stating it would rather explore alliances with other political parties if a credible and widely acceptable candidate emerges.
The National Chairman of the NNPP, Bala Yusuf, made this known on Saturday at the party’s 11th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, where delegates ratified the outcomes of recent primaries in line with the Electoral Act 2026.
Yusuf dismissed speculations of a secret pact with the African Democratic Congress, insisting it had not entered into any agreement with any political party despite growing discussions around opposition coalitions.
This comes as the party’s National Secretary, Dipo Olayoku, lamented the mass defections that have depleted the NNPP’s ranks, including the exit of former National Leader, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso; Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf; and several other elected officials and appointees.
According to Yusuf, the NNPP was keeping its options open and would assess candidates produced by other parties before taking a final decision.
“For now, this is the last day for the submission of anything that has to do with the selection of candidates by the INEC guidelines. We are not going to have any presidential candidate in our party, but we are open to an alliance.
“It’s not for us to have a presidential candidate that matters. Nigeria is in a very difficult situation. We need to see if other parties will bring out a very good, credible and well-focused presidential candidate. I don’t think there will be any problem joining forces with them to have a good presidential candidate.
“No, we don’t have any presidential candidates. We want to see what other parties are producing as their authentic presidential candidate. Then we’ll work towards that,” he said.
