Leadership Crisis Rocks NNPP: Factions Accuse Each Other As INEC Records Cause Uproar

The tussle for control of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) remains unresolved, as a faction led by Dr. Ajuji Ahmed—aligned with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso—continues to assert its authority over the party’s leadership.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Despite a recent court ruling on the ongoing leadership dispute, the Ahmed-led group insists it remains the legitimate body steering the NNPP’s affairs. Since the 2023 general elections, the party has been plagued by intense internal conflict, with rival factions battling over the control of its leadership, symbols, and organizational structure—particularly in Kano State, where the NNPP is the ruling party.

On Thursday, a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory struck out a lawsuit filed by the Kwankwaso-aligned group. The suit had challenged the legitimacy of another faction led by NNPP founder Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and National Chairman Dr. Agbo Major, who also claim leadership of the party.

The plaintiffs—Ajuji Ahmed and 20 others—sought to invalidate the authority of the Board of Trustees and executive members, including factional National Secretary Oginni Olaposi, Deputy National Chairman Chief Felix Chukwurah, and Legal Adviser Tony Obioha. They had also requested that the court bar them from holding party meetings, conventions, or congresses, on the grounds that they had been expelled.

However, Justice M.A. Hassan ruled that the matter fell outside the jurisdiction of the court, explaining that disputes concerning party leadership and membership are internal matters and not subject to judicial intervention, except in the case of candidate nominations.

“The law is clear, as reaffirmed by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court: courts cannot interfere in a political party’s internal affairs, except in matters involving election candidacy,” the judge ruled.

While the court did not declare which faction holds legitimate control of the NNPP, the decision has deepened the internal crisis. The Aniebonam-Major group hailed the judgment as a victory and an endorsement of their leadership. Factional National Secretary Oginni Olaposi called it a “win for internal party democracy,” stating that it reinforces their legitimacy and the authority of the Board of Trustees under Aniebonam.

Segun Fiki, counsel for the defendants, added that the ruling validates the leadership of Agbo Major and Boniface Aniebonam, expressing hope that INEC would now formally recognize them.

Meanwhile, the Kwankwaso camp issued a stern warning against what it described as deliberate misinformation by expelled members seeking to mislead the public about the ruling’s implications.

Barrister Ladipo Johnson, National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP under the Ajuji Ahmed faction, accused the rival group of misrepresenting the court’s decision in a desperate bid to claim legitimacy. He emphasized that the names of these expelled individuals do not appear on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal as members of the party’s National Working Committee.

“It’s no surprise that some of the expelled defendants are twisting the ruling to deceive Nigerians,” Johnson said. “The court made no pronouncement affirming any so-called Board of Trustees, and their names remain absent from the INEC portal.”

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