A Kano State High Court has restrained a faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from acting and parading themselves as leaders of the party.
The faction, whose members included Boniface Aniegbulam and eight others expelled from the party by the National Executive Committee (NEC) were also barred from expelling the party‘s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso from the party.
This is even as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the NNPP has vowed to use lawful means to retrieve party funds allegedly diverted for personal use by the expelled national publicity secretary of the party, Mr. Agbo Major.
One of the NEC members of the party, Chief Kola Tajudeen Bello, had accused Agbo Major of being the chief instigator of the crisis rocking the party in a statement.
But the trialg judge, Justice Usman Mallam Na‘aba, in the suit filed by a the party, held that the Aniegbulam and eight others should desist from carrying out any action pending the determination of the substantive suit.
A member of the party, Alhaji Hasimu Suleiman Dangurawa, through his lawyer had sued Aniegbulam and 17 others before the court on Tuesday.
The move is sequel to a report in national dailies purporting the expulsion of the former Kano State governor from the party.
In his ruling, Justice Na‘aba held that, “An order of interim injunction is hereby granted, restraining the respondents by themselves, their agents, cronies, and whosoever acting or act through them from parading themselves, issuing press release or granting interviews as national leaders or members of the applicants, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
Bello had on Tuesday said Major has refused to account for funds given to him during the last general election to execute some party assignments.
“We are sad to note that the NNPP has over the years, harboured some characters with less than noble background to run its affairs.
“These fellows had pretended to be progressives while in actual fact, they are enemies from within. They have finally unmasked themselves for all to see,“ the statement reads.
Bello said, „We are not unaware of the antics of the expelled former national publicity Secretary, Mr. Agbo Major and the damage he has continued to do to our party.
“It is on record that Mr Agbo, who is in cohort with Chief Boniface Aniegbulam, has been working day and night, issuing fake press releases to media organisations in the name of the party with the sole aim of embarrassing our national leader and the former governor of Kano State.
“The said gentleman has been undermining the party for so long and we intend to bring his antics to public knowledge. We are using this medium to urge him to come forward to account for funds given to him.”
While accusing them of sabotage, Bello on behalf of the party, said Major is yet to account for funds given to him to organize the national convention of the NNPP and other activities of the party.
On what the party will do should the ex-spokesman fail to turn up as demanded, Bello said, „we will be forced to involve anti-corruption agencies to help retrieve our funds and very soon, the party will place disclaimer on them,“ he concluded.
