The internal crisis within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has escalated as the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) has announced its intention to sever ties between the party and the Kwankwansiya Movement.
This development comes on the heels of the suspension of the NNPP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, by a faction within the party over alleged anti-party activities.
The faction said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2022, which led to the emergence of Kwankwaso as the national leader of the party, while the founder of the party, Boniface Aniebonam, was named the BoT Chairman.
In a statement on Thursday, the Secretary of the BoT, Babayo Muhammed Abdullahi, said the party has pulled out of the memorandum of understanding signed between the party and Kwankwansiya Movement.
He said leaders of the party and the Kwankwansiya Movement had been informed of an end to their MOU, which he said was signed with the sole purpose of winning the election.
While wishing them well in their future endeavour, Abdullahi asked them to approach the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for registration as a political party.
He said: “Wearing a red cap as a member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party is a very big embarrassment and avoidable violation of terms of understanding between NNPP and the Kwankwasiya movement. This is because the Kwankwasiya Movement is not a political party other than the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
“For the avoidance of doubts, Kwankwasiya movement, TNM are mere pressure groups under the canopy of NNPP and for the purposes of elections in Nigeria.
“Therefore and henceforth, wearing of red cap is not an appropriate dress code of NNPP during political activities. At this point, all members of the Kwankwasyia Movement are hereby informed that other than being deceived by their leaders, NNPP was not sold to the Kwankwasiya Movement or anybody or a group of persons.
“What we had was a mere memorandum of understanding with Kwankwasiya and TNM to work together for the purposes of winning elective positions. It is not an alliance because none of the group is a political party.
“The need to end marriage became necessary as parties in the memorandum of understanding have since withdrawn.”
