The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has rejected claims by its 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that his exit from the party was driven by external forces, describing the assertion as misleading.
Kwankwaso had, in a statement on Saturday, dismissed what he called “misleading narratives” surrounding his political movements and suggested that discussions about possible realignments within the African Democratic Congress were premature.
Drawing comparisons between the ADC’s current internal challenges and his departure from the NNPP, Kwankwaso said his exit from the party was due to “externally influenced legal problems” that made his continued stay untenable.
However, reacting on Sunday, NNPP founder, Boniface Aniebonam, dismissed the claim, insisting that Kwankwaso’s exit was self-inflicted.
“Kwankwaso has always been his own personal problem,” Aniebonam said, adding that the former governor’s departure, alongside associates such as Buba Galadima and Dr Ahmed Ajuji, stemmed from an alleged attempt to take control of the party.
According to him, the crisis within the NNPP was triggered by internal struggles rather than any external interference.
“The exit of Kwankwaso and others was not influenced externally but by his intense bid to take over a party he did not register,” he said.
Aniebonam further accused Kwankwaso of a pattern of attributing personal political setbacks to outside forces, linking it to broader developments within the party.
He also referenced the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to the All Progressives Congress, describing it as fallout from internal mismanagement.
The NNPP founder stated that the expulsion of Kwankwaso and Galadima from the party had been upheld by the courts, maintaining that their actions, including alleged attempts to alter the party’s structure and identity, escalated internal disputes.
He added that the Memorandum of Association between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement was strictly for the 2023 general elections, which provided Kwankwaso the platform to contest the presidency.
Kwankwaso finished fourth in the 2023 presidential election behind President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, while NNPP secured electoral victories in Kano State.
Aniebonam, however, alleged that the party’s post-election challenges in Kano, including defections, were a result of Kwankwaso’s handling of political success in the state.
He also accused the former presidential candidate of unilaterally altering the party’s logo, colours, and constitution without approval from its founding members.
“We warned that such tendencies could persist in any party he joins. He should move on and stop making insinuations against perceived enemies,” Aniebonam said.
