“NNPP Not Part of Kwankwaso’s Plan to Join APC” – Party Secretary

The National Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Ogini Olaposi, has dismissed claims that the party is planning to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that such a move is solely the decision of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasiya Movement.

In a statement issued on Monday in Lagos, Olaposi said Kwankwaso’s recent declaration of readiness to align with the APC confirms that he and his supporters are no longer part of the NNPP. The former Kano State governor and 2023 NNPP presidential candidate had on Saturday announced that he and his movement were prepared to join the ruling party, though he cautioned that they would not allow themselves to be used for electoral purposes and later discarded.

Olaposi stressed that Kwankwaso’s announcement finally vindicated the NNPP’s stance that he and his movement had long acted independently of the party. He added that any negotiation with the former presidential candidate should now be treated as a personal arrangement, not one involving the NNPP.

The NNPP scribe recalled that the Memorandum of Understanding between the party and the Kwankwasiya Movement ended after the 2023 elections. He accused the movement of attempting to hijack the party rather than exiting peacefully after their expulsion for anti-party activities.

“Kwankwaso has no political party. His political value dipped after betraying the NNPP, which gave him a free platform for his presidential ambition. Many of his key supporters had already joined the APC before now,” Olaposi said.

He further emphasized that any negotiation in the name of NNPP with Kwankwaso or his group is “null and void” since they remain expelled members. According to him, the party is focused on rebuilding its structures nationwide after the turbulence caused by Kwankwaso’s faction and is keeping its options open regarding alliances ahead of the 2027 elections.

Olaposi also criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as delays in updating the party’s new leadership following a court-ordered convention that produced Dr. Agbo Major as the national chairman.