The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) says defections of Rep. Abdulmuni Jibrin to APC and Amb. Oluremi Oguntoyinbo to PDP are as a result of Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso’s anti-party activities and betrayal of trust.
The party was reacting to the latest defections of its members to the ruling APC and the PDP.
Recall that a former director-general of Tinubu Support Groups, Jibrin, on Monday, declared his return to the APC and declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Also, a former NNPP gubernatorial candidate in Ogun, Oguntoyinbo, officially resigned from the party on Monday and joined the PDP.
In a statement on Tuesday, NNPP’s National Secretary, Dr Ogini Olaposi, said the gale of defections bedevilling the party was as a result of an avoidable leadership crisis created by Kwankwaso, its 2023 presidential candidate, and his Kwankwasiya Movement.
“The NNPP faced a series of litigations and still faces a leadership crisis when Kwankwaso and his movement tried to hijack the party’s leadership and structures.
“Many of our strategic members left our party in Kano to join the APC.
“There is no responsible politician who would want to be in a political party where an individual perceives himself as the beginning and end in decision-making, and yet, we claim to practice democracy.
‘The unfortunate thing is that Kwankwaso and his followers betrayed the trust reposed in them by Dr Boniface Aniebonam, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NNPP.
“The avoidable betrayal of trust of our founder, who gave the presidential ticket of the party to Kwankwaso at no cost, has continued to trail our party.
The NNPP scribe, however, stated that the party has nothing against members defecting, just as it welcomed members of other parties joining its fold.
Olaposi noted that the party is still hoping on INEC’s new headship to swiftly resolve the NNPP leadership crisis to enable it to actively participate in the 2027 polls and beyond.
About the Author
