The crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) deepened
on Tuesday as two factions of the party held parallel crucial meetings in Abuja
and Lagos.
The faction led by the party’s National Chairman, Abba Kawu Ali,
held a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Bolingo Hotel in Abuja,
where the expulsion of the Chairman of Board of Trustees (BOT), Dr. Boniface
Aniebonam, and the National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Agbo Major, and 14 others,
was ratified.
But at the parallel, special assembly meeting in Lagos held by
the Aniebonam faction, comprising members of the BOT, Major was appointed
Acting National Chairman of the party.
The Abba Kawu Alli-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the
NNPP is believed to be loyal to the party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential
poll, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State. But Kwankwaso was
not present at the Abuja NEC meeting.
However, two of his loyalists, Kano State governor Abba Kabir
Yusuf, and the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, Jibrin Falgore,
attended the Abuja NEC meeting.
It is believed that the crisis in the NNPP stemmed from
Kwankwaso’s push to hijack the party structure.
Speaking at the Abuja meeting, Ali said the NEC meeting was
convened towards restructuring the party. The planned restructuring involves
redesigning the logo of the NNPP, he explained.
Ali said there was need for collective deliberation on the issue
in order to come up with an acceptable party logo.
The Abuja NEC meeting adopted the report of a seven-member
disciplinary committee set up by the NWC, leading to the suspension of some
state executive committees.
Seemingly confirming insinuations that the NWC was loyal to
Kwankwaso, Ali urged those who won the election on the platform of the party to
emulate the NNPP presidential candidate. Although he was absent, Kwankwaso was
celebrated at the Abuja NEC meeting.
But while the outcome of the Abuja NEC meeting suggested that
Kwankwaso was gaining control of the NNPP, it was a different story at the
Lagos meeting.
The Aniebonam faction, at the Lagos meeting, suspended Kwankwaso
for six months over alleged anti-party activities. They also suspended the
Ali-led NWC and appointed a new set of national officers to run the NNPP.
Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary, Major, who was expelled
alongside Aniebonam by the Alli-led NWC, was appointed Acting National Chairman
at the Tuesday Lagos meeting.
Ogini Olaposi was named Acting National Secretary, while 18
others were equally appointed national officers.
Although a group of NNPP state chairmen had accused Kwankwaso of
trying to hijack the party, Secretary of the BOT, Babayo Muhammed Abdullahi,
disclosed at the end of the Lagos meeting that the former Kano State governor
was suspended for associating with President Bola Tinubu of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) without the authorisation of the party’s leaders.
Kwankwaso was also accused of hobnobbing with Atiku Abubakar of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP),
against the interests of the NNPP.
The BOT secretary also announced that, following his suspension,
Kwankwaso has been stripped of the status of NNPP national leader.
Abdullahi, in the same vein, insisted that the suspension of
Aniebonam and Major was of no consequence.
He added that Aniebonam, who the faction recognises as the
Founder of the NNPP, has resigned as chairman of the BOT.
Chief Tope Aluko was elected as the new BOT chairman at the
Lagos meeting. Abdullahi was elected BOT secretary while Chief Tony Obioha
emerged as BOT spokesperson.
Speaking after the Lagos meeting, Abdullahi said, “The purported
suspension of the founder is a flagrant gross violation of the NNPP
constitution such that it is tantamount to recklessness and irresponsibility on
the part of the incompetent NWC.
“The BOT decided that material evidence in the public sector
affirmed that Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various
meetings, suggest political discussions with the President, Atiku and Obi
without authorisation from the board.
“This has earned him six months suspension pending the outcome
of investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.”
Major, the new Acting National Chairman, of the Aniebonam
faction, assured that the NNPP will remain committed to its ideals.
He said, “We don’t intend to shut anybody out or censor anybody
but we want to ensure that we remain on track and maintain our people-oriented
ideology.”
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