The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has officially distanced itself from Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s ongoing talks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that such discussions are strictly between the former Kano State governor and the APC, not the NNPP as a party.
This was made clear by the NNPP’s National Secretary, Dr. Ogini Olaposi, in a statement issued on Monday in Lagos.
Kwankwaso, who was the NNPP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, recently declared that he and his Kwankwasiyya Movement are ready to join the APC.
However, he added a note of caution, saying his group would not allow itself to be exploited for electoral gains only to be sidelined afterward.
“At last, we have been vindicated,” Olaposi said in response to Kwankwaso’s declaration.
“All negotiations by any party with Kwankwaso should be done in his individual capacity.”
According to the NNPP scribe, Kwankwaso’s recent moves confirm the party’s earlier position that he and his loyalists were acting independently and not in the party’s interest.
“The NNPP has nothing against the ruling party, and if at any point ahead of the 2027 general elections we think we should enter into alliance with APC or any other, it will be decided by all members,” Olaposi noted.
“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 clarified that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement expired after the 2023 presidential election, and attempts to hijack the party’s structure led to internal conflict.
“The crisis began because, rather than leave peacefully, they began to plan to hijack the party. We can’t wait to see them at another party,” he added.
He further stated that Kwankwaso no longer has a political platform, claiming that most of his supporters in Kano had already defected to the APC long before the formal declaration.
“Kwankwaso has no political party. His political value dipped after betraying the NNPP, which gave him a free platform for his presidential ambition,” Olaposi stated.
“When the strategic members of the movement joined the ruling party, he was left without a strong base.”
He warned stakeholders and political actors against engaging with Kwankwaso under the assumption that he represents the NNPP.
“Nigerians who negotiate with Kwankwaso and his group should know that it is his right as a citizen, but not as a member of the NNPP.
Any negotiation in the name of NNPP is null and void because they remain expelled from our party.”
Olaposi also expressed concern over the delay by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in updating the party’s new leadership details after a court-ordered convention, which produced the Dr. Agbo Major-led executive.
