NNPP faction probes Kwankwaso over ‘manipulation, mismanagement’

A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) led by Agbo Major, has announced that it will probe Rabiu Kwankwaso, its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

The faction also said some other members of the party will be probed alongside Kwankwaso for alleged mismanagement of over N1 billion accrued from the sale of nomination forms.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, the factional national publicity secretary, said the party reached the decision after its maiden meeting in Abuja on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the NNPP’s board of trustees (BoT) led by Boniface Aniebonam, founder of the party, suspended Kwankwaso over allegations of anti-party activities.

However, a faction of the party loyal to the former governor of Kano, reversed the suspension.

The faction opposed to Kwankwaso alleged that the party had been mismanaged in the past year.

“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 present acting chairman and the National Secretary,” the statement reads.

“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 faction said the probe is necessary to restore the confidence of party members/candidates “who came forward with their hard-earned money to purchase forms”.

The faction called for written complaints from aggrieved candidates who were allegedly shortchanged after making payments for forms into the party’s account.

The faction also queried the rationale for the alleged relocation of the situation room to Kwankwaso’s personal residence.

The faction noted that the illegal relocation 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 an investigation into the matter.

“The party confirmed its withdrawal from the Memorandum Of Understanding signed by it with the Kwankwasiya Movement and TNM, insisting that the principles of these two groups are targeted at massaging the ego of its sole owner and so not in line with the party’s policies of openness and inclusivity,” the statement reads.

“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.”

The faction added that it would overhaul its structures across all levels nationwide in the coming days.