THE NEW Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has strongly rebuked Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso for labeling members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “betrayers,” asserting that it is Kwankwaso himself who betrayed the party.
Senator Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor and National Leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, had criticized key NNPP members in Kano State for their recent defection to the APC, describing their actions as a breach of trust.
He made these remarks on Friday evening at his Miller Road residence in Kano during a meeting with Kwankwasiyya caucus members from Takai LGA of Kano State.
Notably, Senator Abdulrahman Kawu, representing Kano South Senatorial District, was among the federal lawmakers who recently switched allegiance to the APC.
In a statement issued on Monday in Lagos, the NNPP National Chairman, Agbo Major, clarified that Kwankwaso no longer holds any authority to speak on behalf of the party.
“Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and his followers, led by Ahmed Ajuji, have been expelled from the NNPP,” Major stated.
He emphasized that the Kwankwasiyya Movement is not a political party but a group that was incorporated into the NNPP ahead of the 2023 presidential elections, during which Kwankwaso became the party’s flagbearer.
Major dismissed Kwankwaso’s accusations as ironic, noting that the NNPP had terminated its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kwankwaso and his movement following the 2023 elections.
“The NNPP finds it absurd that Kwankwaso, who betrayed the trust placed in him by attempting to hijack the party, is now accusing others of betrayal,” Major declared.
“Nigerians have the constitutional right to associate with any political party of their choice. Kwankwaso, having lost control of his movement, cannot prevent his members from joining the APC or any other party,” Major stressed.
He further asserted that Kwankwaso’s political influence has significantly waned following his expulsion from the NNPP and the subsequent defection of his loyalists.
“The same Kwankwaso, who bit the hand that fed him by exploiting the NNPP’s presidential ticket without financial commitment, has lost the respect of his followers. His political career effectively ended with his expulsion and the mass departure of his supporters,” Major added.
The NNPP’s stance was reinforced by a recent ruling from the Abuja Federal High Court, which dismissed a lawsuit filed by Kwankwaso’s loyalists challenging the legitimacy of the party’s current leadership under its founder, Boniface Aniebonam, and National Chairman, Major.
Justice M. A. Hassan ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to intervene in internal party disputes, affirming that matters of leadership and membership fall outside judicial purview.
In a pointed remark, Major advised Kwankwaso to “seek reconciliation within the APC under Senator Abdullahi Ganduje’s magnanimity rather than disparaging those who have chosen to defect.”
The NNPP maintains that Kwankwaso’s political relevance has diminished, and his criticisms of defectors only underscore his dwindling influence. (NAN)
