Ezekiel Awojide, Abuja
The National Leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party has cautioned Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso to stop using the party’s name for unwarranted attacks on the Presidency and All Progressives Congress.
It said the former governor of Kano State is the leader of the Kwankwassiya Movement and not the party.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr Oginni Olaposi said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
Olaposi stated that the contract between the party and Kwankwaso, its presidential candidate in 2023 has ended.
He pointed out that the Memorandum of Understanding between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiya movement, led by Kwankwaso had long been terminated.
“Kwankwaso should stop parading himself as a member of our party, attacking the APC and the presidency, using the NNPP, which he had long been expelled from.
“If his followers abandoned him for the APC, which is their constitutional right, it is for him to look inward to find out why.
“Kwankwaso has no position in the NNPP aside from being its candidate in 2023. The Leader of the NNPP remains Dr Boniface Aniebonam, Founder and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party.
“Aniebonam founded and registered the NNPP in 2002 and do not engage in reckless statements against constituted authority in Nigeria.”
Olaposi reiterated that Kwankwaso and his group had been expelled from the NNPP and that they should refrain from using the name of the party for unwarranted attacks on the presidency or anyone/persons.
” The alleged recent outburst and attack on the personality of President Bola Tinubu by Kwankwaso and his expelled group are their views and not that of the NNPP.
“Recall that Kwankwaso, on April 3, lost his suit against the NNPP, led by Aniebonam and the Dr Agbo Major-led National Working Committee at an Abuja High Court.
“We hereby tender an unreserved apology to Tinubu and the entire APC family led by Dr Abdullahi Ganduje for Kwankwaso’s utterances, insult, maligning, and abuse of the President and APC-led Federal Government of Nigeria.
“As a vibrant and responsible political party, NNPP shall continue to contribute our own quota to national development through constructive engagements on policies of the incumbent government.
“The credentials of NNPP showed clearly that we are not out to play ” dirty politics”.
“All of them, including but not limited to Kwankwaso, Elder Buba Galadima, and the defunct NWC members of NNPP led by Dr Ahmed Ajuji, are not members of NNPP any longer. They stand expelled presently.
“They have been expelled and ratified by the Abia State High Court and the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja declaratory judgments.
“These two judgments, including the authority of NNPP internal democracy that expelled them, cannot be overemphasized.”
He, therefore, appealed to the general public and the media to stop referring to Kwankwaso, in particular, as the leader of NNPP.
“Kwankwaso is the leader of the Kwankwassiya movement, not NNPP.”
