Recent developments in the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) show that things are falling apart and the centre appears not to be holding for a political party that made impressive showing in the last general elections. TONY AKOWE reports.
The New Nigeria People’s Party was first registered in 2002 by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam. Like many of the political parties that existed in the country, not many Nigerians were aware of its existence until 28th February, 2022 when it suddenly came into public limelight with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between three party leadership, The Nigeria Movement and the Kwankwasiya Movement. By the 1st of March, 2022, a new journey for the party began and this journey was.
The Nation can confirm that before the MoU, the party had not won any election into an elective position in the country and was on the verge of being de registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The party was not deregistered along with several others because the electoral umpire had records to prove that the party won an election during the 2019 general election in Bauchi state. But as at the 2022, that person had resigned membership of the party and teamed up with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The coming together between the NNPP and the TNM gave the party hope of winning election in some parts of the country. But as a prelude to the new journey of the party, all organs of the party were dissolved while a new National Working Committee was put in place under the leadership of Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali who came in as one of the leaders from the TNM. The erstwhile Chairman of the party was endorsed as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, while it’s erstwhile National Secretary, Dr. Agbo Major was named National Publicity Secretary. Engr. Buba Galadima was also named as Secretary of the Board of Trustees which was to be inaugurates after the 2023 general elections. The Nation reliably learnt that as a result of the pressures of the election, the BOT was never inaugurated to play its role as an advisory body to the party.
Signs that the party may witness some level of crisis as a result of lost of confidence due to alleged high headedness emerged last year, less than one year after the fusing together of the major groups that gave the NNPP strength. Senator Ibrahim Shekarau who had dumped the All Progressives Congress due to irreconcilable differences between him and the then Kano state governor, Umar Ganduje unceremoniously announced that he was abandoning his Senatorial ticket on the platform of the NNPP and leaving the party. Many saw it as the beginning of a crisis brewing in the party especially when the former Kano state governor accused Kwankwaso of betraying their agreement.
But immediately after the 2023 general elections, signs of cracks within the party began to emerge. A day after the National Executive Committee meeting called to x-ray the conduct of the general elections, Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali resigned as the National Chairman of the party for “personal reasons”. Many have argued that the Professor of a political Science may have foreseen the current crisis and decided to quit when the ovation was loudest. Prof. Alkali told The Nation then that he believed that for the NNPP to be the party they want it to be, there was need to embark on a comprehensive restructuring to give it the national spread it deserves.
However, in a letter addressed to the National Secretary of the party and dated March 31, 2023, Prof Alkali said, he was resigning as National Chairman to pave way for the restructuring of the party and to reposition it for the task ahead. He dismissed speculations that he may have been forced to resign his position, insisting that he merely felt that the he needed to lead by example by paving the way for the emergence of a new leadership. He said he does not want any acrimony in the party since he believes in the restructuring of the party.
Efforts to get him to comment on the current crisis in the party and whether he foresaw what is happening now failed as he decline comment on it.
However, the crisis that has engulfed the party has refused to abate, leading to what appeared to be an imminent collapse of the party. The Board of Trustees which the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee says was never inaugurated has said it was taking back the party, while asking those that came to join it to look for another party. The crisis took a different dimension when the faction of the party loyal to the Board of Trustees pulled out of the memorandum of understanding signed between the party and Kwankwasiya Movement in 2022 which saw the emergence of former Kano State Governor, Engr. Rabid Musa Kwankwaso as the National Leader of the party, while the founder of the party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam was named Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In the same vein, Dr. Aniebonam and the erstwhile National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Agbo Major was expelled from the party by the National Executive Committee, while the BOT also announced the suspension of Engr. Kwankwaso for three months. Engr. Mohammed Babayo Abdullahi who claimed to be the Secretary of the BOT announced an end to the romance between the NNPP, The Nigeria Movement and Kwankwasiya Movement. While wishing them well in future endevour, he asked them to approach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as a political party.
According to him, the need to end the marriage became necessary as parties in the memorandim of understanding have since withdrawn. He named those who were party to the MOU as Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi who served as National Organising Secretary and Prof Angwe who served as National Legal Adviser and signed on behalf of TNM, while Dr Aniebonam and Dr Agbo, signed for the NNPP. He said the exit of these people left “Senator Kwankwaso and elder Buba Galadima floating and swimming in violations of the memo of non-existing understanding. It is on record that Prof Alkali who also represented TNM and served as National Chairman of the party had since stepped aside as the chairman of the party to avoid destroying his political carrier. He also said that another member of the alliance, Avm Ihemeje who served as the Deputy National Chairman “equally resigned due to high handedness, constitutional violations, anti party activities and all sorts of arrogance and avoidable self pride of senator Kwankwaso and elder Buba Galadima”.
Members of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee has argued that the BOT has no power to suspend any member of the party as its role was just advisory. They argued that only the National Working Committee, acting on the recommendations of the disciplinary committee has the power to suspend any member, while such decisions are ratified only by the National Executive Committee. But Dr. Agbo Major who has been appointed Caretaker Chairman by the BOT faction of the party disagree with this position. He claimed that the BOT is empowered by the Constitution of the party to take over when the party is unstable.
He told The Nation that “Let me make it clear that whatever they are saying is entirely their business. Our Constitution puts in the hands of the Board of Trustees the power to take control of the party when it is unstable and that is what the BOT did on Monday night until the early hours of Tuesday in Lagos. They decided that the NWC that existed before now was illegal because there were series of resignations before the election and the process of having those positions filled as spelt out in the Constitution were not followed. But the function of the BoT as spelt out in both the 2018 and 2022 Constitution of the party states otherwise. The BoT, according to the party Constitution is expected to “ensure highest standards. Of morality in all the activities of the party by acting as the conscience of the party with power to call to order any officer of the party which conduct falls below norms; ensure high morale of members of the party and that the party enjoys a good image before the Nigeria Populace and in good political health; undertake all other functions and activities as may be referred to it by the National Executive Committee or the National Convention” among others.
Agbo also alleged that the Acting Chairman emerged illegally in somebody’s house, in Kwankwaso’s house instead of the party Secretariat or an official designated place and Kwankwanso presided over that meeting instead of the Deputy National Chairman who was supposed to take over after Prof. Alkali resigned. They frustrated the Deputy National Chairman out, refusing him to take over and went and brought somebody else hiding under the cover that they needed somebody from Alkali’s zone to complete the tenure.
That was a lot of injustice and that why Gen. Ihemeje left. So the emergence of that guy is illegal. The second aspect is that he was given three months to stay in office and the three months expired before the decision to suspend those chairmen was taken. What that mean is that he presided over those decisions illegally.”
Also, in sudden twist, the BOT its decision to suspend Kwankwaso for three months, for alleged anti party activities. They accused Kwankwaso of hobnobbing with the party in power, the APC to the detriment of the party. But the NWC and NEC described it as a joke taken too far. Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Kawu Ali who spoke through the National Auditor, Oladipo Johnson said those who met in Lagos and announced the suspension of Kwankwanso for three months were persons who were no longer members of the party, having been expelled from the party or actions bothering on anti party activities. He dismissed allegations of anti party activities against Kwankwanso saying as a responsible party leader and politician, they were bound to listen to the government when they announced that they wanted to form a government of national unity. According to him, “each time Kwankwanso was invited by this President, either before his inauguration or after, he has always taken permission from the National Caucus and after such meetings, he will come back to brief the caucus of what transpired. There was no agreement reached and there was no consensus. If there had been some agreements, may be Major would have been the Minister of Information today.”
Oladipo dismissed the meeting of the BOT saying the party has not formally inaugurated its BOT due to the pressure of the 2023 general elections. According to him, following the coming into the party of the Kwankwanso-led Movement in February 2022, all organs of the party were dissolved, including the Board of Trustees, while a caretaker committee was set up which midwifed the emergence of the leadership of the party at all levels. He said then National Chairman and founder of the party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam was appointed a caretaker Chairman of the yet-to-be constituted Board of Trustees, alongside Galadima who was to serve as the Secretary pending the composition of a formal BOT. He, however, expressed regret that the former BOT Chairman who was expelled at the National Executive Committee meeting was issuing letters to those suspended or expelled from the party reversing their expulsion suspension.
The National Legal Adviser of the party, Prof Angwe who contested the governorship election in Benue State in March resigned membership of the party cited current crisis in the party as his reasons for quitting. According to him, the confusion that has engulfed the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) at all levels was regrettable.
in a bid to calm the situation, the Acting National Chairman of the party had held party’s NEC meeting, the second within two months. He also acknowledge development in the party which has thrown up some forms of acrimony. Curiously, the presidential candidate in the last presidential election, Senator Kwankwaso, was absent at the NEC meetings.
In the last three months, the NWC had disolved the party leadership in not less than ten states. The NWC said that the suspended state executives were working with some unnamed parties to destabilise it.
The National Auditor has, in recent times assumed the role spokesman of the party also dismissed insinuation by some people that will take back the party from Kwankwaso. He said “We are a party that is interested in the welfare of the people and the economy especially during this rising inflation. The party was talking to reposition itself to deliver in the interest of the country. In line with this, we have expelled two people, some have been placed on indefinite suspension and some state chapters have been dissolved from the state Executive down to the local government Executive. want to take back the party from Kwankwanso were on the wrong impression that they have been suspended when they were not. It is the state Executive in their states that was suspended because of deficient structures. The beauty of the democracy we practice in this party is that even after the disciplinary committee has taken a decision, there is still an appeal process which none of them has taken advantage of. So, there is no one taking the party back from anybody because no one has taken the party from anybody. Senator Kwankwanso came into this party with some people and we have worked together to achieve all that we have achieved within one and half year. We are aware that there are people who wants to destroy this party at this stage and we are equal to the task. I will sound this as a note of warning to those who feel that they can do business with this party.
We have it on good authority that some people have lend themselves to a particular political party and will try to do every they can to destabilize this party. It will not happen because we will be ready to take tough and hard decisions against such people no matter who is involved. We will defend this party and move it forward.
Engr. Buba Galadima who is a loyalist of Kwankwaso described the purported suspension of the party’s presidential candidate, Rabid Kwankwaso as a “Nollywood and Hollywood joke”. He said Kwankwaso did not commit any anti-party activities and was not in any time suspended by the party.
Galadima said “When I saw it on social media, I thought it was like a Nollywood or Hollywood joke. Now let me make a small correction, those that were expelled were Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam and Gabriel Agbor Major. All of them who were expelled were called to a disciplinary committee. They were drilled and they accepted their sins and it was on the basis of their acceptance that they were recommended to the Nation Working Committee for expulsion.” Galadima also accused political opponents of orchestrating internal squabbles within the party, but emphasised that the NNPP remains strong. “A lot of people are interested in this party in the sense that the other parties felt that they could only survive if they destroy this party. But unknown to them we are as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. As politician, we can meet with anybody. He took permission from us. Whatever the case, Kwankwaso had permission from the party to meet with President Tinubu and talk to any other political group. So, he didn’t do this on his own.”
While suspending Kwankwaso from the party, the BOT accused him of hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi, without the Board’s authorisation. They also suspended the National Working Committee for six months and appointing new national officers were Dr Agbo Major as acting National Chaieman and Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary alongside 18 others. Secretary of the BoT, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi, said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a flagrant gross violation of the party’s constitution. However, he announced that
Aniebonam had resigned as the BoT chairman and a new BoT Chairman, Dr Chief Tope Aluko, was elected with Abdulahi as new BoT Secretary, while High Chief Tony Obioha was elected as BoT spokesperson. 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. The BoT insisted that the avoidable violation of MoU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasiya, TNM and NAGAFF on the other has no other choice than to withdraw from the partnership. It is, therefore, to state clearly that the MoU has been rendered void.”
