Factional members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have renounced Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s leadership, heightening internal tensions.
In an event at the party’s Minna, Niger State, secretariat, the factional National Chairman, Dr. Gilbert Agbo, asserted that Kwankwaso’s recent suspension by the National Working Committee in Lagos signifies a permanent end to his role in the NNPP.
“Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasiya group pose a clear threat to the progress and existence of our party,” Agbo stated. He further emphasised this stance by overseeing the symbolic burning of Kwankwasiya’s iconic red caps, indicating a decisive break from the faction.
The anti-Kwankwaso faction also highlighted concerns over Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, announcing his expected appearance before the party’s disciplinary committee. According to Agbo, this summons comes as the governor allegedly defied the party’s principles.
In response, Mallam Danladi Umar Abdulhamid, leader of the Kwankwasiya Movement in Niger State, dismissed Agbo’s faction, asserting that Kwankwaso remains the legitimate leader under Dr. Ahmed Ajuji’s recognised leadership.
“This movement against Kwankwaso serves only Dr. Agbo’s interests and not the people’s,” Abdulhamid commented.
Meanwhile, in a boost for the NNPP, over 1,000 former APC members in Kano State recently defected to the Kwankwaso-led faction, declaring support for the NNPP.
During a ceremony in Tofa and Ghari Local Government Areas, state party chairman Dr. Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa warmly received the defectors, who attended a campaign launch for the upcoming local government elections.
Both NNPP chairmanship candidates in the elections, Yakubu Ibrahim Adis of Tofa and Hashimu Mai Sabulu of Ghari, expressed optimism about the party’s rising influence.