The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) endured a tumultuous year in 2024, when deep-seated internal conflicts dashed hopes of expanding the party after the Supreme Court confirmed Abba Kabir Yusuf as governor of Kano State. Ta.
Political observers had hoped for a united front to strengthen the party’s position as the main opposition party, but instead the NNPP was mired in leadership disputes and factionalism.
The party’s problems further escalated when supporters of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso introduced a new party logo with a red-white-red design featuring a book and a graduation cap.
This change was rejected by the faction led by Boniface Anibonum, who insisted on retaining the original fruit basket logo, which symbolized abundance.
Agbo Major, the official national chairman of Anibonam, told Daily Sun: I am the only chairman. On the other side are the Kwankwasiya people. They are not a political party. ”
The crisis worsened when the faction led by Anyebonam suspended Governor Yusuf for suspected anti-party activities and extended his suspension for another six months after he failed to respond to a summons.
Following this, Senator Kwankwaso was also expelled for similar violations.
These disciplinary actions further polarized the party, with Kwankwaso supporters denouncing the move as an attempt to sideline key stakeholders.
Tensions rise over emirate reorganization
Amid turmoil in the party leadership, Governor Yusuf’s administration sparked controversy by removing His Highness Ado Bayero from the Kano Emirate and reinstating former Sanusi Emir Lamido Sanusi.
The decision reignited old tensions and divided party supporters between supporters of both monarchs.
Critics called the move an executive overreach, while supporters argued it was a step toward righting past injustices.
Mr Agbo Major warned that the “autocratic tendencies of the Kwankwaso group” could render the party politically powerless.
He claimed: “They mismanaged Kano State University. Nigerians are paying attention, but the truth is they mismanaged Kano State. That is why we urge the governor to Although he has always advised people to keep their distance, it is unlikely that the governor will return.
“I can see that the party’s ratings and popularity are declining because the people of Kano State have woken up to the fact that such a large state cannot be left in the hands of one person who has the power to make decisions. ” Overnight they decide who should be the governor, who should be the senator, who should be the SSG, when to fire the SSG, when to impeach someone, and everything else. So it is unfortunate that they brought our party down to that level in Kano State. ”
Talking about the number of MPs loyal to the Kwankwaso faction, he said: “The MPs they are talking about are traditionally from the Kwankwasiya movement.
“They joined the party with the Kwankwasiyya movement.Of course, the party only provided a platform for them to run for election, and they ran for election and won.
“Therefore, we do not expect them to be loyal to us, because they were not party members to begin with. They were members of the Kwankwasiya group. Because the Kwankwasiya faction was removed from the party. , they are also expected to leave.
“It doesn’t matter how many members of Congress are together. But our doors are wide open. The party is about the people, and if they end up doing what Ali Madaki and others did If we realize that we should do the same thing, it’s for them to come back to the party anytime and we’re ready to accept them.
“But they must be ready to denounce members of the Kwankwasiya group. But as long as they are members of the Kwankwasiya group in terms of the law, they are not party members.”
As expected, the party’s national publicity secretary, Ladipo Johnson, rubbished Major’s claims, claiming why the Anibonam-led faction sold the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) while in legal limbo in Kano State. I wondered. Even after being expelled, they continued to parade as party members.
He said: “Those who were offended and paraded around calling themselves new members were expelled from the party, and they ended up pretending that we were members under the party’s old logo, a fruit basket.” I started saying things.”
He asserted that “the simple technical and legal thing is that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), which has a fruit basket as its logo, is no longer registered under INEC.”
“What you have is red-white-red, centered around awareness books, starting in April 2024. It’s hard to stop people from going to the rooftops and shouting that they’re party members.”
He pointed out that 2024 was a “testing year for us because these people used themselves in the hands of the opposition.”
He said, “When we went from the courts to the Supreme Court after the gubernatorial election, these so-called people openly supported the APC and supported the elected governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, a member of our party. It was clear that he was doing it,” he recalled. .
“They supported him, expelled Senator Kwankwaso and allegedly expelled myself. But of course their so-called NNPP is not recognized.”
On the crisis in the emirate and its impact on the party, he said: “They (led by Anibonam) supported the APC position in Kano to support the sacked Ado Bayero.
“Any person of eminent legal knowledge who is familiar with the current situation in Nigeria knows that the issue of chieftaincy is within the jurisdiction of the states and local governments and not the federal government. This is a barbaric act by some members of the state using their offices, which I say are instruments of the state. Who else can give Ado Bayero more police and military protection than the governor of Kano State? Is it?
“Those who are now outside the party supported it. Similarly, this was one of the key challenges facing the Kano administration and the party.
“These same people went to court in Kano to block the local government elections that took place a few weeks ago. In the above example, these people are APC loyalists causing discontent within the NNPP .
“Now I am away from them, but despite the pressures we faced, I am talking about the Kano State government, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was able to move the state forward. I’m happy for him. I’m sure he would have accomplished even more if he hadn’t faced all these challenges,” Johnson said.
He added: “The dismissal of Mr. Ado Bayero will not affect the fate of our party.”
“Go and look at the roads of the 44 local governments where we campaigned. It was the grassroots people’s demand for Abba Kabir Yusuf. If you win, we will transform Kano into a single emirate. It is to return it to .
“It is not something that the NNPP dreamed of, nor is it something that Abba Kabir Yusuf just decided to do, as Senator Kwankwaso stood up for Abba Kabir Yusuf to do. It came from the people themselves.
“You should have seen the crowd and the elation when Sanusi Lamido came back. So, no, rather it will show the nation that the promise was kept.
“This year (2025), we will be busy with rebranding. We need to reposition the party so that Nigerians can see it as an alternative to political parties in government at the national level.”
