NNPP Almost Dead Until Kwankwaso Joined – Senator Hanga Slams Aniegbonam

A senator representing Kano Central from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rufai Hanga, has commented on the current turmoil within the NNPP, characterizing the rumors regarding the expulsion of former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, as unfounded.

He asserted that the NNPP was almost dead when Kwankwaso and his supporters joined following his exit from his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Hanga said the purported expulsion of the 2023 presidential candidate of the NNPP was part of a broader scheme by influential individuals aimed at undermining the party.

In a recent interaction with Daily Sun, Hanga criticized NNPP founder, Boniface Aniegbonam, for his attempts to regain control of the party despite lacking the necessary executive power.

He further accused Aniegbonam and his associates of being funded to instigate discord within the party, akin to the issues faced by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).

Nevertheless, he indicated that he would not hesitate to join Kwankwaso if the latter chooses to switch allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on the present situation of the NNPP after recent reports that Kwankwaso has been expelled from the party, Hanga said: “This is not the first time they have said that Kwankwaso has been thrown out of the party or suspended; they have said it several times.

“When we started, the founder of the party, Boniface Aniegbonam, allowed the party to go sleep for many years, and nothing was happening there.

“But when we had problems with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), we decided to join another party. So, we approached him because the party was almost dead, and he was happy to receive us.

“We were grateful that he received us. He said it was alright for us to take over the party, so we had a convention, and he suggested that some of his boys must be part of the executive, and we agreed. We then had a joint leadership, and he was appointed the chairman of the Board of Trustees, and things were going well.”

He added: “Immediately after a government was formed in Kano, we always invited him, but he was not attending anything frequently. He would either say that there was no time or that he was busy. After the government was formed, we always invited him for events, being the BoT chairman and the person who was initially the chairman of the party. Sometimes he came, and other times he would give excuses for why he would not come.

“He was being patronised, but I think that he was not happy with the patronage he was getting. He probably considered it too little and wanted to control everything. But the party constitution does not give him the power to decide things; he was just the chairman of the BoT, which is just an advisory body, with no executive power according to the constitution.

“He then started causing problems through his boys who were in the exco and said the party belongs to him after all and that he is taking over. So, they left us and started problems.

“But since we have the majority of the exco in all states and at the national level, we went to INEC to apply to conduct a national convention. A convention is the highest echelon of any party, and the decisions taken there are final. So, we had a national convention, elected leaders, and changed our logo. All of these were done in the presence of INEC and all those whom the constitution said must be present.

“After that, they are still being used to foment trouble because they are still claiming to be in charge and that they still maintain their former logo. How can you be a leader of the party when you have had no convention with INEC?”.