Why the merger between Peter Obi and Kwankwaso failed
The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Prof Rufai Alkali has explained why alliance talks between their presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Peter Obi, collapsed.
Real reason why Obi and Kwankwaso can't work together: According to Alkali, the talks about a merger fell apart because the LP camp insisted that NNPP concedes the presidency to them.
He stated this while speaking with journalists at the NNPP’s secretariat on Sunday , August 28, 2022, in Abuja.
“A technical committee was set up to work out the alliance.
“But for the eight hours that they met, the LP camp said just one thing; that Kwankwaso should concede the presidency to Obi, that it was the time of the South East to become the president,” Alkali said.
How it all went down: According to Alkali, the LP camp agreed that Kwankwaso was a good candidate, but said it was the turn of the South East to produce Nigeria’s next President.
Peter Obi accused of leaking information: The NNPP Chairman alleged that the Obi camp leaked the deliberations on social media while the alliance negotiations were ongoing, which led to the collapse of the alliance talks.
He further stated that when there was a stalemate during the negotiation, the LP camp announced to the media that there was a breakdown in the talks.
What is a stalemate: Stalemate is a situation in the game of chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. Stalemate results in a draw. During the endgame, stalemate is a resource that can enable the player with the inferior position to draw the game rather than lose.