The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has disowned Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor and the party’s presidential candidate, for his remarks that he escorted Governor Abba Yusuf to some Supreme Court judges in 2019.
The party insisted that Kwankwaso was not a member of the NNPP in 2019 when the alleged incident involving Supreme Court judges reportedly occurred.
The clarification was made at the weekend by the national leadership of the party, which distanced itself from the allegations linked to Kwankwaso and urged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to immediately remove the name of the NNPP from any petition submitted to the Inspector-General of Police on the matter.
In a statement signed by the National Secretary of the NNPP, Comrade Oginni Olaposi Sunday, the party described reports linking it to the controversy as misleading and incorrect.
“We are here to set the records straight. Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was not a member of the New Nigeria People’s Party in 2019 when he allegedly committed the offence of taking Governor Abba Yusuf to see some Supreme Court judges,” Oginni said.
According to the statement, Kwankwaso only joined the NNPP a few months before the 2023 general elections, alongside notable political figures such as Buba Galadima, Prof. Alkali, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Prof. Hanga and the current Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.
The party also debunked claims that Kwankwaso was a founding member of the NNPP.
“Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was never one of the founding fathers of the NNPP. The authentic founder of the party is Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam,” the statement stressed.
The NNPP further accused Kwankwaso of attempting to hijack the party after joining it, alleging that he unilaterally changed the party’s logo and colors to reflect his Kwankwasiyya movement without the consent of the party’s founder and the Board of Trustees.
