The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has addressed swirling rumors regarding the membership status of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and former presidential candidate Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, asserting that both remain integral members of the party. This statement comes in response to various claims of their suspension or expulsion from the party.
Ladipo Johnson, the National Publicity Secretary of NNPP, clarified these points during an interview with News Central on Monday. He emphasized that only the faction of the party led by Dr. Ajuji Ahmed, which is officially recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), holds the authority to make official statements and decisions regarding party membership.
Johnson stated, “That party has not expelled or suspended Abba Kabir Yusuf or Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. A party recognized by the Constitution and the Electoral Act must be the one registered by INEC. So, those making contrary claims are not a party but a group, whatever you want to call them.”
The clarification is set against the backdrop of a tumultuous leadership dispute within NNPP. The party has been grappling with internal conflicts, leading to multiple factions claiming authority. Johnson reiterated the legitimacy of the INEC-recognized NNPP leadership, saying, “INEC, for the sake of argument, recognizes the NNPP led by Dr. Ajuji Ahmed as chairman and myself, Ladipo Johnson, as publicity secretary. That is what is recognized by law today.”
The genesis of the crisis, according to Johnson, can be traced back to actions by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, one of the party’s founders. Aniebonam tried to exert control over the party by allegedly overruling the decisions of the National Working Committee (NWC), which led to his suspension by the faction Johnson represents. Johnson noted, “We got to a stage where Dr. Aniebonam said, ‘I am the founder, and I am overruling the decisions of the NEC or NWC.’ And we said, no, and suspended him. Even Kwankwaso did not know he was going to be suspended, as it were. So that is how we got to this problem.”
This clarification from NNPP aims to settle the dust on the membership status of key figures within the party, amidst ongoing internal battles for control, reaffirming the positions of Governor Yusuf and Senator Kwankwaso within the officially recognized structure of NNPP.
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