The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has suspended the national leader and presidential candidate of the party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso for six months over alleged anti-party activities.

Secretary of the BoT, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi who made the announcement said Kwankwaso has been suspended for six months over anti-party activities.

Kwankwaso was recently hosted by Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate. He had also thrice with President Bola Tinubu including his recent meeting at the Vila on August 25.

The BoT also appointed new national officers headed by Dr Agbo Major as acting National Chairman and Comrade Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary and 18 other officers.

Recall that the National Working Committee of the party, had on Thursday, August 24, announced the suspension of the founder of the party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Agbo Major.

But the BoT at the meeting said the purported suspension of its founder was a flagrant gross violation of the NNPP constitution.

It stated that Aniebonam had resigned as the BoT chairman and a new BoT Chairman, Dr. Chief Tope Aluko was elected with Abdulahi as the new BoT Secretary, while High Chief Tony Obioha was elected as BoT spokesperson.

Abdullahi said the pre-election Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Kwankwasia Movement, The National Movement (TNM) and National Association of Government-Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has been rendered void by the actions of the NWC.

“The purported suspension of the Founder was a flagrant gross violation of the NNPP constitution such that it is tantamount to recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the incompetent NWC.

“BoT decided that material evidence in the public sector affirmed that Senator Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various meetings, suggested political discussions with Mr President, Atiku and Obi without authorization from the board, has earned him 6 months suspension pending the outcome of an investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.

“The BOT insisted that the avoidable violation of MOU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasia, TNM and NAGAFF on the other has no other choice than to withdraw from the partnership. It is therefore to state clearly that the MOU have been rendered”, the BoT said.

DIPLOMATIC DIARY reports that the suspension of Kwankwaso followed a crisis of Confidence that started within the party over the last few months since the end of the 2023 Elections with accusations and counter-accusations between the different groups within the party.

Addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital few days back, on the alleged anti-party activities of Kwakwaso the NNPP spokesperson, Dada Olayinka Olabode said, “This stem from his unholy romance with the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“The romance as of then before the presidential election largely affected the performance of the party across board.

“The party crisis was orchestrated by an attempt by the former presidential candidate of this party, Kwakwaso to hijack structures of the party after he was challenged about his anti-lparty activities.

“Panels were set up without observing the disciplinary procedures as enshrined in the party constitution, those accused across the ten states were neither availed a copy of the petition purportedly written against them nor given fair hearing.

“The NWC which in itself was improperly constituted made pronouncement albeit unconstitutionally and illegally on 28 of July , saying that the party structures across ten states of Enugu, Ekiti, Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Rivers and four other states have been dissolved.

“May it be known, that the NWC , having relied on the bias recommendations of the disciplinary committee which was improperly constituted and set up by them against the provisions of the party constitution made pronouncement to dissolve state, local government and ward executives in the ten states.

“We are here today, on behalf of these ten states to tell the whole world that having taken this illegal rout to hijack party structures in the ten states, the state chairmen, took a petition before the founder and chairman board of trustees of the party, Chief Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam who constitution donated expressly powers to serve as the conscience in his impartial nature looked at the petition, invited the petitioners and advised appropriately that the decisions, illegally taken be reversed and that the state chairmen, the dissolved executive committee across board be reinstated.

”We want to warn members of the public to be wary of the activities of those who proclaim themselves as democrats but who in truth are political traders traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria, playing on the intelligence of loyal party members to desist from associating with people who in the history are known to be moving from one political party to the other. You may recall that the then presidential candidate of this party was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from where he moved to APC and later made his way back to PDP late last year, he made an overture to the founder of NNPP Chief Anibulam who is consummate, accomplished retired custom officer formed the party in 2001 and in 2022, he volunteered the political platform for the use of Engr Kwakwaso who came to NNPP from a relatively unknown The National Movement.

“Chief Aniebonam didn’t request monetary compensation from the TNM group and didn’t broker power-sharing or hinder the smooth take off of the party. He dissolved his old executives ceased to be party chairman to become BoT chairman and allowed the Kwakwaso group to take 70% of the position in the newly reconstituted NEC of the party.

“Today, it is obvious that the tenants have now turned out to chase away the landlord. But we are resolute , all the state chairmen have resolved never to allow the tenants to occupy our own house.

“We are not unaware of effort being made to impose illegal caretaker committee across these states but I can assure you that we are equal to the task and we are done everything legally possible on the moral side to regain our party.

“On behalf of my colleagues and members of the party, we reaffirm our undying love and loyalty to the NNPP. Our philosophy is bringing about a new Nigeria and to make this happen, no act of impunity by anyone no matter how highly placed will be tolerated. We will not allow anybody to trade with the collective sweat of members of this great party. We will continue to defend the integrity of this party with every legitimate options”.

The NNPP state chairmen’s forum advised Nigerians, especially the political class to be wary of those they associate with in the party.

“If any political class is interested in aligning with our Party, our ideology, philosophy, they should meet with Chief Anibulam who is the father and chairman BoT of our party.”