The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has issued a scathing response to the recent defections of high-profile members, including Rep. Abdulmuni Jibrin (to APC) and Amb. Oluremi Oguntoyinbo (to PDP), squarely blaming the exits on the alleged anti-party activities and broken trust of its 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the NNPP’s National Secretary, Dr. Ogini Olaposi, attributed the spate of departures to an ongoing and “avoidable leadership crisis” allegedly engineered by Kwankwaso and his associated Kwankwasiya Movement, which has attempted to take control of the party’s structure.
Olaposi accused the former presidential candidate of fostering an autocratic environment. “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,” he stated.
The party secretary went on to specifically address the breach of faith with the party’s founder. “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,” Olaposi claimed. He elaborated on the extent of the alleged betrayal, noting: “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.”