The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) on Tuesday suspended Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, on allegations of anti party activities.
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The NNPP BoT, which held a special general assembly at the Rockview Hotels, Apapa, Lagos, further suspended all members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). The officials were placed on six months suspension.
The NNPP BoT at the meeting appointed new national officers, appointing Dr Agbo Major as acting National Chairman, Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary, and 18 other officers.
In a media interaction at the end of the meeting in Lagos on Tuesday, the BoT Secretary, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi, accused Kwankwaso of hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, without the board’s authorisation.
Abdullahi announced that Kwankwaso had been stripped of the NNPP national leader status by the board.
The secretary of the BoT said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a flagrant gross violation of the party’s constitution.
He pointed out 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.
The NNPP NWC had on Thursday, Aug. 24, suspended the founder of the party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, and the National Publicity Secretary, Major.
Abdulahi said the pre-election Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Kwankwassiya Movement, The National Movement (TNM), and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, had been rendered void by the actions of the NWC.
Abdulahi declared: “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 Kwankwassiya, 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 have been rendered void.”
The acting chairman also said that his team would hit the ground running by healing the wounds created by the suspended NWC members.
Major said the party would remain the most ordinary friendly party in the country and urged other members that are displaced for one reason or the other to return to its fold.
According to him, “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.”
The special general assembly meeting was attended by the new NWC and members across the country.
NAN