The National Vice Chairman, North-West, of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Sani Danmasani, has declared that Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, is the leader of the party and not former presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Danmasani made this known in a statement released on Tuesday, insisting that by the provisions of the NNPP constitution, Governor Yusuf is the party’s leader as its only serving governor nationwide.
According to him, Kwankwaso’s role in the party ended after the 2023 general election, following the expiration of the Memorandum of Association between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
“Kwankwaso was the 2023 presidential candidate of the NNPP, an arrangement that was terminated after the election following the expiration of the Memorandum of Association between the party and the Kwankwasiyya Movement,” Danmasani said.
The NNPP chieftain further claimed that Kwankwaso and some key members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement were later expelled from the party over alleged anti-party activities.
“It is not even news that some key members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, including Kwankwaso, were later expelled from the NNPP for anti-party activities,” he added.
Danmasani lamented what he described as the persistent misrepresentation by the media, which he said has continued to portray Kwankwaso as the leader of the NNPP, leading to political negotiations being conducted in the party’s name without authorisation.
He warned that any alliance talks ahead of the 2027 general elections involving Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement would be invalid if carried out under the NNPP platform.
“We reiterate that negotiations for 2027 alliances with Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement are okay, but will be invalid if they are done purportedly on the NNPP platform,” he stated.
Danmasani explained that only the party’s recognised leadership structures have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the NNPP.
“Only Dr Boniface Aniebonam, who is the founder and life member of the Board of Trustees, and the National Executive Committee led by Dr Agbo Gilbert can negotiate for the NNPP. Any other negotiations outside this is null and void and will not hold,” he said.
He stressed that Kwankwaso and his associates remain expelled from the party and cannot lay claim to NNPP membership.
“Kwankwaso and his group have the right as Nigerian citizens to negotiate to join any party of their choice, but not as members of the NNPP. They were expelled and remain expelled. They should either join another party or float a new one,” Danmasani said.
The NNPP official also appealed to Kwankwaso to stop using the name of the party to criticise the ruling party and the Presidency, adding that President Bola Tinubu should not be blamed for Nigeria’s current security and economic challenges.
According to him, the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration reflects an acknowledgement that challenges existed before the President assumed office.
“We believe that with the intervention of friends of Nigeria like America and Israel, Nigeria shall be great once again,” he said.
Danmasani urged the media to ensure accurate representation of Kwankwaso’s status, stressing that he should be referred to only as a former senator, former governor of Kano State, and the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, but not the leader of the party.
“It is our hope that the ongoing judicial review will compel INEC to update its records,” he added.
