The National Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Ogini Olaposi, has clarified that Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s plan to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a personal decision alongside his Kwankwasiya Movement, and not that of the NNPP.
Olaposi made the clarification on Monday in Lagos following Kwankwaso’s weekend declaration that he and his supporters were ready to align with the ruling party. The former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate, however, cautioned that his movement would not allow itself to be used for electoral purposes and then abandoned.
Reacting, Olaposi said Kwankwaso’s announcement confirmed that he and his followers were no longer part of the NNPP.
“At last, we have been vindicated. All negotiations by any party with Kwankwaso should be done in his individual capacity,” he stated.
He stressed that the NNPP would decide its political alliances collectively if the need arose before the 2027 elections.
“For now, we are putting our house in order ahead of elections nationwide after the crisis and litigations that Kwankwaso and his followers brought to the NNPP,” Olaposi added.
According to him, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Kwankwasiya Movement and the NNPP ended after the 2023 general elections. He accused Kwankwaso of attempting to hijack the party instead of leaving peacefully.
“Kwankwaso has no political party. His political value dipped after betraying the NNPP, which gave him a platform for his presidential ambition. Any negotiation in the name of NNPP is null and void because they remain expelled from our party,” Olaposi said.
He also criticised the delay by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in updating the NNPP’s leadership following a court-ordered convention that produced Dr. Agbo Major as national chairman.
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