NNPP Defends Sen. Sumaila, Others’ Meeting With Ganduje

The Kano State chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Mas’ud El-Jibrin Doguwa, has defended the meeting between Sen. Kawu Sumaila, Hon. Kabiru Alhassan and others with the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, saying it was held with the consent of the party leaders in the state.

Sen. Sumaila representing Kano South in the Senate; Hon. Alhassan, representing Rano/Kibiya/Bunkure federal constituency; Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki, representing Dala federal constituency, and a former lawmaker, Hon. Badamasi Ayuba, held a closed-door meeting with Ganduje in Abuja, fueling speculations about a defection ahead of the 2027 general election to the ruling party.

However, briefing newsmen in Kano on Wednesday, the party chairman said, the purpose of the meeting was to pursue discussions on the way forward for development in the areas they represent, noting that, politics is about inclusiveness which requires open discussions.

He also highlighted that, the discussions with the APC national chairman are part of a continuous process, as other political parties may also be invited for discussions in order to determine which political party has the best arrangement or manifesto for bringing projects to their areas.

While noting that Sen. Sumaila and others have carried out projects worth 90 billions in their constituencies, he added that, “In the end, the representatives will consult with leaders to decide on potential alliances or movements as a group. Any political party they move to should be as a block, not as individuals and the discussions should center around the interests of the people they represent and the interests of the areas they represent, ” he said.

Meanwhile Sen. El-Jibrin, clarified the judgment against Bar. Dalhatu, a member of the NNPP who took the Kano state anti-corruption agency to court delivered on Tuesday was carried against him as an individual, not against NNPP.