The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has suspended the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Rabiu Kwankwaso, for hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, without the board’s authorisation.

The NNPP BoT also suspended the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for six months.

It equally appointed new national officers headed by Dr Agbo Major as acting National Chairman and Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary with 18 others.

The suspensions were put to a voice vote by members of the party at its special general assembly in Lagos on Tuesday, August 29, 2023.

The NWC of the party had, on Thursday, August 24, announced the suspension of the founder of the party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, and the National Publicity Secretary, Major.

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Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, the BoT Secretary, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi, announced that Kwankwaso has been stripped of the NNPP national leader status by the party.

The secretary of the BoT said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a flagrant gross violation of the party’s constitution.

He stated that Aniebonam had resigned as the BoT chairman, saying a new BoT chairman, Dr Tope Aluko, was elected with Abdulahi as new BoT Secretary, while Tony Obioha was elected as BoT spokesperson

Abdulahi said the pre-election Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Kwankwasia Movement, The National Movement (TNM), and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders
(NAGAFF) had been rendered void by the actions of the NWC.

He said: “The BoT decided that material evidence in the public sector affirmed that Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various meetings, suggest political discussions with the president, Atiku, and Obi without authorisation from the board.

”This has earned him six months suspension pending the outcome of investigation by the disciplinary committee.

“The BOT insisted that the avoidable violation of MoU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasia, 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 have been rendered void.”

The Star