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The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has taken a swipe at the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over its decision to choose Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as the running mate to its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 election.

The NNPP described the choice as a gross mistake. It warned the NDC that Kwankwaso’s past political actions could create problems for the party in the future.

The party’s National Secretary-General, Ogini Olaposi, made the position known in a statement issued on Monday, September 7.

Olaposi claimed that Kwankwaso’s conduct after contesting the 2023 presidential election on the NNPP platform should have made the NDC reconsider his selection as Obi’s running mate.

He alleged that the NNPP gave Kwankwaso a free presidential ticket in 2023 and provided him with the platform to build his national political profile before he later turned against the party.

“Kwankwaso dragged a party that brought him to the limelight in the presidential contest, freely gave him a platform and did all it could to support him. Once a betrayer, always a betrayer, and posterity will prove us right,” Olaposi said.

He also accused the former Kano State Governor of contributing to the crisis that affected the NNPP after the 2023 election and led to the departure of some party members.

The NNPP secretary-general further dismissed claims that the party had been handed over to Kwankwaso by its founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam.

He insisted that the NNPP belongs to its Board of Trustees and was never transferred to Kwankwaso.

Olaposi also warned that Peter Obi’s popularity alone would not be enough to guarantee victory for the NDC in the 2027 presidential election.

He argued that voters would also consider the record and political history of the vice-presidential candidate before deciding who to support.

The NNPP maintained that the NDC should have considered these factors before settling for Kwankwaso as Obi’s running mate.

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Former Ekiti State Governor and ex-Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, has described the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar’s proposal on fuel subsidy as a political strategy similar to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election.

Fayemi made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday while discussing the ongoing debate over fuel subsidy and Atiku’s position on the issue.

“My take on that is that Atiku’s proposal of subsidy is politically equivalent to our own Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023. It’s a political strategy. It’s not an economic construct,” Fayemi said.

He, however, acknowledged that the proposal could resonate with Nigerians who have been adversely affected by the removal of petrol subsidy, saying vulnerable citizens were more concerned about their economic wellbeing than the technical arguments surrounding subsidy policy.

“But understandably, it’s a political strategy that will sell with those who are hard done by the impact of fuel subsidy removal,” he said.

Fayemi reiterated his support for the removal of fuel subsidy, saying he had advocated the policy for years, including during his tenure as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

“I was and I remain an advocate of fuel subsidy removal. As chairman of the governors’ forum, I spent four years in this battle,” he said.

He also said President Bola Tinubu inherited work that had already been substantially completed by the previous administration regarding subsidy removal, although he criticised the manner in which the policy was implemented.

“What President Tinubu inherited, in fairness to him, was the work that had already been completed by that administration. The only challenge I had with it was the way it was done,” Fayemi said.

According to him, state governors had previously worked with the Federal Government and the World Bank to develop a safety-net strategy aimed at cushioning the impact of subsidy removal on vulnerable Nigerians.

“However, as I have also consistently said, because at the Nigerian Governors Forum, we actually had a committee work with the federal government and the World Bank, by the way, to develop a safety net strategy that would address what would happen to the most vulnerable segment of our population,” he said.

Fayemi said the hardship being experienced by vulnerable Nigerians was what he believed Atiku was seeking to leverage politically with his subsidy proposal.

“I believe that’s what Vice President Atiku is taking advantage of. The vulnerable segment of the population is still hard done by,” he said.

He added that many Nigerians were less concerned about the technical details of subsidy removal than their ability to afford basic necessities.

“They just want to live reasonably well, eke out a living, have one or two meals a day, be able to send their kids to school, not be taken in by sickness or anything that might create further problems for them,” Fayemi said.

He further linked poverty and inequality to insecurity, saying they were “also at the root of the insurgency and the banditry that we’re dealing with.”

Fayemi concluded that, just as the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket was a political strategy aimed at maximising electoral support in 2023, Atiku was similarly seeking to benefit from public dissatisfaction over the effects of subsidy removal ahead of the 2027 election.

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The Honourable Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has noted with concern the inconvenience experienced by Nigerians in the United Kingdom regarding the application and processing of their international passport during the ongoing special passport intervention exercise.

The intervention exercise was introduced to provide more options for Nigerians in the United Kingdom to process their application.

Alao Babatunde, Special Adviser to the Minister of Interior on Media and Publicity said; “It is therefore necessary to clarify that this process does not come with extra cost different from the official fees of $150 and $230 for a five-year and ten-year validity passports respectively, exclusive of bank charges.

“Neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service has introduced any other charges outside the aforementioned,” the statement added.

However, consultations are ongoing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that any inconveniences during this process do not persist any longer.

This government has demonstrated high level of responsibility to Nigerians home and abroad, and remains committed to its promises of providing succour to all.

Applicants are further advised to take advantage of the seamless contactless biometric passport application system.