NNPP Crisis Deepens, Rival Group Probes N1bn Campaign Funds

It became obvious yesterday that the crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is far from abating, as the Dr Agbo Gilbert Major-led leadership of the party commenced investigation of its presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and other officials.

Kwankwaso and the said officials are under probe over how the N1 billion naira raised from the sales of forms in the 2023 general election was spent.

The party, in its maiden meeting at the national secretariat, said after a review of the situation resulting from gross mismanagement in the past one year, it decided to investigate the funds and why its situation room was moved to the house of their presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

A statement issued by the acting national publicity secretary, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, the party said it resolved to “conduct a thorough probe into the mismanagement of well over one billion naira (N1b) raised from the sale of forms to aspirants between March 2022 and today”.

The statement noted: “The meeting resolved to invite relevant security agencies to properly examine the accounts of the party with a view to demanding explanations from the party’s presidential candidate, the party’s chairman who left in March 2023, the sacked acting chairman and the National Secretary. This is to restore confidence of party members/candidates who came forward with their hard earned money to purchase forms.

“The party queried the rationale for the location of the Situation Room to the presidential candidate’s personal residence. It noted that the illegal location created room for the massive corruption and manipulation leading to imposition of candidates by Buba Galadima and his co-travellers and resolved to set up a Committee to launch a probe into it. It therefore called for written complaints from aggrieved candidates who were short changed after making payments for forms into the party’s account.

“The party resolved to query the rationale behind the denial of other presidential aspirants the right to purchase form and participate in the primary election that illegally produced Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso insisting that it was against the spirit of fairness and equity which our great party preaches.”

“The party further confirmed that it was withdrawing from the Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the Kwankwasiya Movement and TNM.

NNPP alleged that the principles of the two groups are not in line with the party’s policies of openness and inclusivity, as they are targeted at massaging the ego of its sole owner.

“The party called on its numerous members and supporters to remain calm in the face of this brazen assault of the Kwankwasiya movement whose members were erroneously made to believe the party is sold to them and called on all aggrieved and displaced members who left for whatever reason to return home.