At the Chatham House on Wednesday, the New Nigerian Peoples Party’s presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, provided insight regarding his counterpart from the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

At the Chatham House in London, former Kano state governor and presidential candidate, Kwankwaso, discussed his proposed projects for Nigeria with members of the think tank. He also stated his willingness to step aside in favor of any candidate who he felt was better qualified to manage the nation’s resources, and made note of his own experience and credentials as a PhD holder with over 30 years in politics.

On Thursday, Folashade Aliu, the National Secretary of NNPP, appeared on Arise Television’s The Morning Show to provide further context to her principal’s comments.

The Senator never said he would step down. Rather, he made the point that if a more qualified candidate were to emerge, the situation would be discussed. We are aware of the comments being circulated on social media, and we urge the public to not engage in any form of blackmail. What he was conveying yesterday was that this is not a situation of ‘do-or-die’.

Though the Labour Party initially seemed open to conversations before the INEC cut-off point, they were not as flexible, open-minded, or objective as I had hoped. If there is a candidate who is more suitable than myself, we can discuss the matter further.