Confusion Reigns As NNPP Factions Hold Parallel Meetings In Abuja, Lagos

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.

The Aniebonam-led BOT 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.”