Board of Trustees (BoT) of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) , has suspended Rabiu Kwankwaso over alleged anti-party activities. The suspension of Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate in the February 25 election, was announced yesterday, at the end of a meeting, held in Lagos.
The board also appointed new officers led by Dr Agbo Major (acting national chairman) and Mr Ogini Olaposi (acting national secretary), alongside 18 others.
The suspension is to last six months. The sanction followed a voice vote by members of the party during a general assembly, held at Rockview Hotels, Apapa.
Recall that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had, on Thursday, August 24, announced the suspension of founder of the party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, and the national publicity secretary, Major.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting in Lagos, BoT secretary, Babayo Muhammed Abdullahi, accused Kwankwaso of hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, without the board’s authorisation.
Abdullahi announced that the board had stripped Kwankwaso of his status as NNPP national leader. He said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a gross violation of the party’s constitution. According to him, Aniebonam resigned as BoT chairman, while a new chairman, Dr Chief Tope Aluko, was elected. Also, Abdullahi became new BoT secretary, while High Chief Tony Obioha was elected as spokesperson.
Abdullahi described the suspension as tantamount to recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the NWC. He said the pre-election Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Kwankwasia Movement, The National Movement (TNM), and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has been rendered void by actions of the NWC.
This was as chairman of the party in Niger State, Mamman Garba Damisa, and secretary, Comrade M. K. Garba, issued a statement at the end of an emergency meeting in Minna, saying members would no longer tolerate “anti-party activities” by Kwankwaso.
The communiqué maintained that Kwankwaso’s recent engagements with candidates of other political parties, and meetings with President Bola Tinubu before, during and after the 2023 general elections, were enough evidence to suspend him from leadership of the NNPP.
