The leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party on Wednesday said it has summoned former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Gilbert Major Agbo and nine others to court over the expulsion of the party’s presidential candidate in 2023 election, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over alleged anti-party activities by a faction of the party.
According to Tribune, this was disclosed by the party chairman in Osun State, Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, while speaking with journalists in Osogbo, the State capital, hoping that the matter would be addressed at the court of law over which the party had already approached.
In his speech, the chairman remarked, “We want to specifically clear the air on lies and falsehood peddling around by some harlequin individuals about the presidential candidate of our party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. We want to inform the general public that these people were once members of NNPP until recently when, based on allegations of anti-Party activities during the 2023 General elections, were properly investigated and sanctions applied in line with the letters of our Constitution.
“To our surprise, about Ten (10) of them, including our former National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Gilbert Major Agbo gathered in Lagos and claimed to have dissolved the properly constituted National Working Committee (NWC) of the Party, the height of which is their purported expulsion of Senator Kwankwaso from the party.
“It will interest you to know that the present NWC of our party was constituted and inaugurated in April 2022 for a period of four (4) at a ceremony witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
“We are not unaware that some external forces, scared of 2027 elections, are behind these shenanigans and their main target is His Excellency, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso Ph,D, FNSE. We as a Party are aware of their engagements and their plans.”
“We know their limitations according to the Statutes (NNPP Constitution, Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as Amended).
“In view of this, as a law abiding organisation, the leadership of our party have decided to approach the court to put a stop to their evil machinations of disrupting our well laid down programmes for subsequent elections”.
“We wish to reiterate that our NWC is intact, except the former National Publicity Secretary, who has been expelled by a properly constituted National Executive Committee (NEC) and NNPP, since the dissolution of the Board of Trustees (BOT) in 2022 publicly in the presence of INEC and the media, has not constituted a new Board. The BOT is not what one person can sit in one corner to constitute.”
“Here in Osun State, we wish to pass a vote of confidence on Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who has used his years of political experience to stabilise our party and brought us to limelight.
“NNPP was at its point of death, the coming of Kwakwanso was the air that sustained the party and Osun is part of the old NNPP, he helped the party escaped the hammer of INEC as it would have been de-registered if we didn’t win any seat. His efforts saved us.
“We also pledge our loyalty to the National Working Committee of NNPP under the leadership of Alhaji Kawu Ali”,he concluded.
