New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) National Chairman Rufa’i Alkali said on Wednesday that the party was open to alliances ahead of the 2023 general election.

Alkali, former presidential adviser on political affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, revealed this in Lagos at a press conference.

According to him, the party is not averse to negotiations for the construction of the country.

“Parties that want to discuss with the NNPP must do so as an equal partner and must share our views on the future of the country.

“All parties are equal before the law.

“We are talking about the future of Nigeria,” said Alkali, a former PDP national publicity secretary.

He denounced the lack of sophistication in political negotiations in Nigeria and said that people should not come to a negotiation with the only option being that NNPP presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso give up his ambition for them.

Weeks of alliance talks between the NNPP and the Labor Party yielded no results leading to the two parties’ presidential candidates, Mr. Kwankwaso and Peter Obi, announcing their respective running mates.

Alkali said that when a party sits down to negotiate, it must first try to understand itself: what do they share (ideals, vision, manifestos, goals, and objectives) in order to work together.

He added that the parties must also agree on the level of the alliance, whether in the chamber of assembly, representatives, senate, governorship, or presidential.

“In politics, we talk about capacity.”

However, the president said that Nigeria cannot afford to make mistakes in 2023 and stated that, if elected, the NNPP would introduce new ideas for building the nation’s economy.

“NNPP is a Nigerian project and will usher in a spontaneous change in the nation’s politics,” he added.

He noted that the NNPP was still the fastest growing political party in Nigeria and would soon gain the support of the majority of Nigerians across the country.

He said that the NNPP would remain consistent with its principles, which was to improve the lives of the Nigerian masses.

On the rotation of power, the president said that the concept of zoning is the bane of the nation’s politics.

“What Nigeria needs is leadership that people can trust and that will deliver,” said Alkali, a professor of political science and economics.

On the Muslim-Muslim ticket, the president said it was the candidate’s prerogative to choose his running mate, noting that what should matter more should be addressing Nigeria’s challenges.

He added: “If we want this country to change, we must go beyond zoning and religious discussion.

“We are past the stage of zoning contradictions and religious sentiments.”