Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), must comply with party rules if he intends to return to the ruling APC.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday, Ganduje confirmed that the party is not opposed to Kwankwaso’s possible defection but stressed that the former Kano governor must accept the conditions set out by the APC constitution.
“Anyone who wants to join is welcome, but they must follow due process.
“We have rules and a constitution.
“If they return, we’ll welcome them, but we will name it for what it is: they’ve vomited and now they’re licking it back,” Ganduje said.
Kwankwaso, Ganduje’s predecessor and one-time political mentor, fell out with him before leaving the APC to form the NNPP.
Recently, Kwankwaso told APC grassroots leaders in Kano that he was open to returning to the ruling party but only under “strong conditions and promises” that would benefit his party.
“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.
“Discussions about a merger or return must spell out tangible benefits for NNPP,” Kwankwaso said.
Ganduje, who served as Kwankwaso’s deputy before succeeding him as governor in 2015 and securing reelection in 2019, said while the APC welcomes defectors, no exceptions will be made to established procedures.
