The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has been suspended by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) over alleged anti-party activities.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was also suspended for a period of six months while a new national officers were appointed in their instead. Dr Agbo Major was appointed as acting National Chairman of the party and Mr Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary alongside 18 others.
The suspensions were put to a voice vote by members of the party at its special general assembly, held at the Rockview Hotels in Apapa, Lagos on Tuesday.
Recall that the NWC of the party on Thursday, August 24 had announced the suspension of the founder of the party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, and the National Publicity Secretary, Agbo Major.
While addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, Secretary of the BoT, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi, accused Kwankwaso of hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Mr. Peter Obi, without the Board’s authorisation.
He also announced that Kwankwaso had been stripped of the NNPP national leader status by the board.
The secretary of the BoT said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a flagrant gross violation of the party’s constitution.
He pointed out that Aniebonam had resigned as the BoT chairman and a new BoT Chairman, Dr Chief Tope Aluko, was elected with Abdulahi as new BoT Secretary, while High Chief Tony Obioha was elected as BoT spokesperson.
Abdulahi said: “The purported suspension of the founder is a flagrant gross violation of the NNPP constitution such that it is tantamount to recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the incompetent NWC.
“The BoT decided that material evidence in the public sector affirmed that Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various meetings, suggest political discussions with the President, Atiku and Obi without authorisation from the board.
”This has earned him six months suspension pending the outcome of investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.
“The BoT insisted that the avoidable violation of MoU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasia, TNM and NAGAFF on the other has no other choice than to withdraw from the partnership.
“It is, therefore, to state clearly that the MoU has been rendered void.”
