The board of trustees (BoT) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has suspended Rabiu Kwankwaso over alleged anti-party activities for a period of six months. NAN reports that the suspension of Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate in the February 25 election, was announced on Tuesday at the end of a meeting held in Lagos. The NNPP BoT also suspended the national working committee (NWC) of the party and appointed new officers, which include Agbo Major as the acting national chairman. Ogini Olaposi was appointed as acting national secretary, and 18 others to different positions.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Babayo Muhammed Abdullahi, secretary of the BoT, accused Kwankwaso of engaging in political discussions with President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), without the board’s authorization. Abdullahi said the party’s BoT has stripped Kwankwaso of national leader recognition. He added that the memorandum of understanding signed by different groups in the party in the build to the 2023 election has been voided.
“The BoT decided that material evidence in the public sector affirmed that Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various meetings, suggesting political discussions with the President, Atiku, and Obi without authorization from the board,” NAN quoted Abdullahi as saying.
“This has earned him six months suspension pending the outcome of the investigation by the disciplinary committee.” “The BOT insisted that the avoidable violation of MoU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasiyya, 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 has been rendered void,” he said.
On May 15, Tinubu and Kwankwaso met for four hours in Paris, France. It was understood that the meeting at the time was about the potential involvement of Kwankwaso in the incoming administration as Tinubu planned to form a “government of national unity” which means giving certain positions to opposition parties.
More so, on June 9, the president received Kwankwaso at the presidential villa in Abuja and on August 24, Tinubu again hosted the former governor of Kano at the State House.
