Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party’s (NNPP) presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, has been charged with acting against the party’s interests during the most recent general elections.
The party’s forum of state chairmen made the accusation.
The NNPP state chairmen asserted that Kwakwaso was attempting to seize control of the party apparatus and that he was employing NWC members to commit crimes and make illegitimate decisions.
Additionally, they charged that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had illegally dissolved the executive councils of the party in ten federation states.
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Speaking to journalists yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the forum’s spokesperson, Dada Olayinka Olabode—also the NNPP’s Ekiti state chairman—said legal action had been launched against Kwankwaso and the party’s NWC.
He said: “We have taken legal step to address this injustice against over 7000 members who went through congresses at the ward, local government and state levels in Ekiti state and also, about 100,000 elected officials of this party across the ten states and two other states where a clear pronouncement of expulsion has been pronounced.
“The Court in Ado Ekiti has served the party as represented by the improperly constituted NWC to appear before it on the 19th day of September, 2023. The case is before Justice Aladejana of High Court 3 of Ekiti State High Court”.
He added that “This action violated section article 2a of the constitution our party. It also fragrantly violated article 32. 1i, 39.0, 39.1i and 39.4 of the constitution of our noble party.
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“The same improperly constituted NWC had made attempt twice to illegally doctor the constitution of the Party”.
Regarding Kwankwaso’s alleged anti-party activities, Olabode charged him with working for current Nigerian President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate at the time.
He claimed that Kwankwaso’s attempts to seize control of the party’s structures for personal gain had a negative impact on the NNPP’s electoral success.
“The romance as of then before the presidential election largely affected the performance of the party across board.
“The party crisis was orchestrated by an attempt by the former presidential candidate of this party, Kwakwaso to hijack structures of the party after he was challenged about his anti-party activities.
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“Panels were set up without observing the disciplinary procedures as enshrined in the party constitution, those accused across the ten states were neither availed a copy of the petition purportedly written against them nor given fair hearing.
“The NWC which in itself was improperly constituted made pronouncements albeit unconstitutionally and illegally on 28 of July, saying that the party structures across ten states of Enugu, Ekiti, Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Rivers, and four other states have been dissolved.
“May it be known, that the NWC, having relied on the biased recommendations of the disciplinary committee which was improperly constituted and set up by them against the provisions of the party constitution made a pronouncement to dissolve state, local government, and ward executives in the ten states.
“We are here today, on behalf of these ten states to tell the whole world that having taken this illegal route to hijack party structures in the ten states, the state chairmen took a petition before the founder and chairman board of trustees of the party, Chief Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam who constitution donated expressly powers to serve as the conscience in his impartial nature looked at the petition, invited the petitioners and advised appropriately that the decisions, illegally taken be reversed and that the state chairmen, the dissolved executive committee across board be reinstated.
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”We want to warn members of the public to be wary of the activities of those who proclaim themselves as democrats but who in truth are political traders traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria, playing on the intelligence of loyal party members to desist from associating with people who in the history are known to be moving from one political party to the other. You may recall that then presidential candidate of this party was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from where he moved to APC and later made his way back to PDP late last year, he made an overture to the founder of NNPP Chief Anibulam who is a consumate, accomplished retired custom officer formed the party in 2001 and in 2022, he volunteered the political platform for the use of Engr Kwakwaso who came to NNPP from a relatively unknown The National Movement.
“Chief Aniebonam didn’t request monetary compensation from the TNM group and didn’t broker power sharing or hinder the smooth take-off of the party. He dissolved his old executives ceased to be party chairman to become BoT chairman and allowed the Kwakwaso group to take 70% of the position in the newly reconstituted NEC of the party.
“Today, it is obvious that the tenants have now turned out to chase away the landlord. But we are resolute, all the state chairmen have resolved never to allow the tenants to occupy our own house. We are not unaware of the effort being made to impose illegal caretaker committee across these states but I can assure you that we are equal to the task and we are done everything legally possible on the moral side to regain our party.
“On behalf of my colleagues and members of the party, we reaffirm our undying love and loyalty to the NNPP. Our philosophy is bringing about a new Nigeria and to make this happen, no act of impunity by anyone no matter how highly placed will be tolerated. We will not allow anybody to trade with the collective sweat of members of this great party. We will continue to defend the integrity of this party with every legitimate options,” he submitted.
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The BoT chairman, Chief Anibulam, shall be the point of contact for all interactions with the party, according to the NNPP state chairmen’s forum.
“If any political class is interested in aligning with our Party, our ideology, philosophy, they should meet with Chief Anibulam who is the father and chairman BoT of our party,” the statement added.
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