The New Nigerian Peoples Party, or NNPP, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC, and the Tinubu government of using every possible strategy to destabilise the party.
Currently, the NNPP is divided into two competing factions: one loyal to Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiya Movement, and another led by Dr Boniface Aniebonam and Dr Agbo Gilbert Major.
Following the 2023 general elections, Major and Aniebonam were removed from the party due to claims of anti-party activity, but they have remained defiant.
According to the both individuals sought legal recourse in various courts across the country, initially unsuccessfully, until they recently received favourable rulings, including a directive from the FCT High Court in Maitama instructing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise the Major-led National Working Committee, NWC.
Despite the fact that this faction did not conduct primary elections and was not included in the membership record presented to INEC by the NWC led by Bala Yunusa Muhammed, INEC has permitted them access to its portal to submit candidate names for the impending 2027 general elections.
During a news conference at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, Mohammed, the NNPP’s National Chairman who supports Kwankwaso, expressed surprise at INEC’s fast acceptance of the Major-led faction, despite previous commitments to collaborate with his side.
When asked about the sources of the NNPP dilemma, the party Chair responded, “The ruling party or the current government is most likely to blame, as we have consistently received favourable judgements until they suddenly approached a lower court in Abuja and Abia State, obtaining a default judgement.” It is widely accepted that a judgement cannot be entered without a fair hearing for both parties involved.
“For such a judgement to be issued, it is clear that something is wrong. There are invisible effects at work, showing that certain forces are driving these behaviours.”
In describing why he believes the APC and the current government are out to undermine the NNPP, he stated, “Following the 2023 general election, we emerged as the third most popular political party in Nigeria.” Consequently, these forces regard our party as a threat and are working to cause turmoil within our ranks. They have begun to exploit expelled members of our party by supplying them with funds to incite trouble inside our organization.
“INEC acted prematurely.” They should have maintained the status quo that they conveyed to us during our meeting at their office. We don’t know why they changed their position. If we are displeased with the judgement, we have the right to appeal. It is critical that they wait until the appeal is resolved before making any decisions. They did not, however, wait; instead, they acted quickly, appointing individuals who are not even members of the NNPP.
“These individuals have been expelled and are not included in the NNPP membership register, as INEC has mandated that all party member registrations be conducted electronically and submitted by May 10th, which we have complied with. Therefore, it is improper to pick someone who is not a member of the party to lead it.”