The National Working Committee (NWC) of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has refuted the purported suspension of Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2023 Presidential Candidate from the party.
Mr Ladipo Johnson, the NNPP National Auditor, stated this at a news conference on Wednesday the party’s National Headquarters in Abuja.
Johnson, a former spokesperson for Kwankwanso presidential Campaign Council, said that the suspension was null and void.
A faction of the party headed by a former Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Mr Boniface Aniebonan had on Tuesday suspended Kwankwaso for six months over alleged anti-party activities, after a parallel National Executive Committee (NEC) in Lagos.
It also appointed the former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Major Agbo as the acting National Chairman.
But, Johnson said that Aniebonam and Agbo were on Aug. 24 suspended for three months for engaging in unwholesome acts before they were later expelled from the party.
He added that the party NEC at its meeting on Tuesday in Abuja monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) took certain decisions including the election of new national officials, change of the party logo and expulsion of Aniebonam and Agbo.
“Is it not funny that all those people either suspended or expelled would gather somewhere and claim to have suspended Kwankwaso and also dissolve the NWC?
“The jokers also appointed a CTC made up of those people who have ceased to be members of the party by virtue of our constitution.
“Was INEC at the meeting? Did they write INEC? Who and who signed the letter?
“Is it not laughable that Major Agbo, who announced the suspension of the former chairmen, the expulsion of two of them, and the dissolution of some of the states is now purportedly “heading” their caretaker committee,” Johnson said.
He said it was unfortunate that some people had reduced politics and party administration to huge jokes.
“The news that one person will sit somewhere and arrogate certain powers to himself is not permissible in a democracy.
“We are using this medium to assure our supporters all over the country that there is no substance in the story.
“Kwankwaso remains the face of the party, has not been suspended, and the NWC under Ali remains intact,” he said.
Johnson however, admitted that Kwankwaso was invited to meetings by President Bola Tinubu on some issues saying that the meetings were far from being an anti-party activities.
He said that while Kwankwaso always took permission before attending such meetings, no conclusion had so far being reached from the meetings.
He also denied the allegation that Kwankwaso hijacked the party from members who were in the party before he joined with his movement in February 2022.
Johnson, however, said that the party leadership would do its best for possible reconciliation.
Also speaking, Mr Oluwatosin Odeyemi, the Chairman, forum of NNPP state chairmen, said the purported suspension of Kwankwaso was politics of bitterness.
“Let me remind you that the present secretary of that group was expelled from this party and Agbo was the one who read it out that he had been expelled. Agbo attended all the meetings of that committee.
“So you can see that it’s politics of bitterness. Something you read is something you agreed with. It was not as if you were pressure to read a release as the national publicity secretary.
“So now an expelled person that you confirm his explosion is whom you are now regarding so as yours, secretary,” Odeyemi said.
