The New Nigeria People’s Party, on Sunday, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission of undue interference and taking sides in its internal leadership crisis.
The party also advised INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, to look into the alleged attendance of its splinter group convention by the staff of the commission, even when they were served with a court notice challenging it.
Crisis rocked the party shortly after the 2023 general elections as the party’s Board of Trustees, led by Boniface Aniebonam, expelled its presidential candidate and former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over alleged anti-party activities.
The suspension followed Kwankwaso’s visit to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa after he was sworn in, with the former governor rumoured to be eyeing a ministerial slot.
Following the suspension, a faction loyal to Kwankwaso, with the Kwankwasiya movement, also expelled the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Major Gilbert Agbo, and added in a statement that Aniebonam, the founder of the party, had also been put on suspension. Agbo had since emerged as the factional chairman of the party.
Though Justice Usman Mallam Na’abba of the Kano State High Court had set aside Kwankwaso’s suspension, the crisis in the party festered, as the Kano movement dissociated itself from the national leadership of the party.
On April 6, 2024, the Kwankwaso-led faction of the party held its national convention at the A-Class Event Centre in Maitama, Abuja and the gathering was attended by the National Executive Council members, state chairpersons, and federal and state lawmakers.
At the convention, the faction confirmed the appointment of Ajuji Ahmed as the acting national chairman of the party.
Additionally, it approved the party’s constitution, slogan, and logo.
Following the convention, The PUNCH reports that on April 16, the Agbo-led faction suspended the Kano State Governor, Kabir Yusuf, for six months, for his failure to appear before a disciplinary committee to defend an alleged infraction against the party’s constitution.
The party, led by Agbo, therefore, accused INEC of colluding with the Kwankwaso faction, as its officials attended the convention held in Abuja.
In a statement signed by the NNPP National Secretary, Oginni Olaposi, and made available to The PUNCH in Ilorin by the National Publicity Secretary, Abdulsalam AbdulRazaq, on Sunday, the party insisted that INEC Chairman must fish out the colluding staff and ensure punishment was served.
“Without prejudice to the integrity, honour and leadership of the INEC chairman, we are using this medium to remind him that the successes and otherwise of electoral processes in Nigeria largely depend on the level of quality leadership of the commission under his watch.
It is trite to note that INEC as a commission has the mandate to regulate and control electoral processes in Nigeria, in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and electoral guidelines.
“This shall be without prejudice to the partial autonomy and independence of political parties to regulate and control themselves in accordance with the party constitution,” the statement read.
The NNPP pointed out that the courts, including the Supreme Court of Nigeria, had made pronouncements concerning the liberty and authority of political parties on matters of self-regulation and control of its affairs, administration and management.
“One begins to wonder why INEC, as a commission, other than being neutral, is found to be contrary and taking sides over an internal matter of NNPP.
“And for the record, the Federal High Courts seated at Awka in Anambra State and Abuja have said that the crisis in the NNPP should be resolved internally by members.
“We regret to note that Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and others expelled from our party have been deceiving the general public that the NNPP under the leadership of Major Gilbert Agbo lost in various cases.
“One begins to wonder how the pronouncements of the courts that the NNPP leadership crisis is an internal matter of the party translate to loss.
“The Federal High Court has jurisdiction over the party’s constitution to give direction. We have approached the Court of Appeal in that regard to demand a clear statement as to how the internal crisis can be resolved and who does it,” the statement added.
Speaking on the roles INEC was expected to play, it stated, “On the part of INEC as a regulator, it shall be an oversight function to deploy alternative dispute resolution, especially, when the matter is brought before it formally.
Other than that, INEC is found attending and observing an illegal convention of the expelled members. INEC again should have the courage to respond to the letter of the founder and members of the board to facilitate and order the board to take responsibility in resolving the internal crisis.
“And for the avoidance doubts, it is on record that Kwankwaso and his splinter group and INEC were duly served with court notices against the illegal convention and yet it held and INEC erroneously attended.
“However, we are meant to understand that most times, the chairman of INEC may be shielded from facts of issues and sectional heads tend to do things on their own, without the knowledge of the chairman.
“We shall, therefore, advise the INEC chairman to step up his supervisory role in the management and administration of the commission’s statutory responsibilities and know when to evoke his residual powers to act.”