TheCable

A coalition of youths supporting the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kaduna has demanded the replacement of Suleiman Hunkuyi as the gubernatorial candidate in the state.

The group made the demand in a petition submitted to Ben Bako, NNPP chairman in the state.

The group alleged that Hunkuyi is working for the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that the window for the replacement of candidates is still open.

“The gubernatorial candidate has a chameleon attitude of romancing with the opposition party in the state, and most party loyalists are not comfortable with this relationship as it will undermine our collective efforts,” the petition reads.

“We are afraid that the candidate of our party has already sold the candidature to the ruling APC, since he is known for this deceptive attitude in the history of Kaduna politics.

“As the gubernatorial candidate in the state, he is supposed to be the unifier of the remaining candidates, unfortunately, he happens to be the destroyer of candidature of other candidates which is a serious anti-party activity.

“Our gubernatorial candidate used his influence to deny the competent candidates for different elective positions in zone I and zone II of the state respectively, instead he picked the weaker candidates that can be easily defeated by his preferred opposition party (APC).

“We urge the party leadership to immediately replace Sen. Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi with a better and uncompromising gubernatorial candidate in Kaduna State NNPP.”

Meanwhile, Hunkuyi has described the petition as a joke taken too far.

He said the youths were sponsored to “malign his personality with frivolous issues which cannot hold any water”.

“All the allegations against me cannot be substantiated, it is a mere attempt to undermine my candidature, but I can tell you it is a joke taken too far which will not yield any results whatsoever,” he added.