A senior figure in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has declared that Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, is the national leader of the party, dismissing claims that former Kano governor and ex-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, still holds that position.
Sani Danmasani, the National Vice Chairman of the NNPP in the North-West, made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday. He said the party’s constitution clearly recognises Governor Yusuf as its leader, noting that he is currently the only serving governor elected on the NNPP platform.
Danmasani explained that Kwankwaso’s role in the party ended after the 2023 general election, following the expiration of a Memorandum of Association between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
According to him, several key members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, including Kwankwaso himself, were subsequently expelled from the NNPP for alleged anti-party activities.
“It is therefore misleading for the media to continue referring to Senator Kwankwaso as the leader of the NNPP,” Danmasani said, adding that such reports have created confusion and led to political negotiations being wrongly attributed to the party.
He warned that any discussions or negotiations involving Kwankwaso or the Kwankwasiyya Movement, particularly ahead of possible 2027 political alliances, would be invalid if conducted under the NNPP’s name.
Danmasani stressed that only the party’s recognised leadership structures have the authority to negotiate on its behalf. He said this power rests with the party’s founder and life member of the Board of Trustees, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, as well as the National Executive Committee led by Dr Agbo Gilbert.
“Any negotiations outside these recognised organs of the party are null and void and will not be binding on the NNPP,” he said.
The NNPP chieftain added that while Kwankwaso and his associates are free, as Nigerian citizens, to engage with other political parties or form a new one, they no longer have the right to speak or act on behalf of the NNPP.
“They were expelled and remain expelled. They should either join another political party or float a new one,” he stated.
Danmasani also appealed to Kwankwaso to stop using the NNPP’s name to criticise the ruling party or the Presidency, insisting that President Bola Tinubu should not be blamed for Nigeria’s current security and economic challenges.
He argued that the country’s problems predated the Tinubu administration and expressed confidence that Nigeria would overcome its challenges with the support of international partners.
He further urged the media to accurately describe Kwankwaso as a former senator, former governor of Kano State and the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, but not as the party’s leader.
Danmasani concluded by expressing hope that ongoing judicial reviews would prompt the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to update its official records to reflect the current leadership structure of the NNPP.
