Business Post Contributor
By Bliss Okperan
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has accused a former presidential candidate of the party, Mr Rabiu Kwankwaso, of being responsible for the sacking of the Governor of Kano State, Mr Yusuf Abba, at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday.
A three-man panel led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay removed Mr Abba as Governor, ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hand the Certificate of Return to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the poll, Mr Nasir Gawuna.
Reacting to the development, a chieftain of NNPP in Southwest, Mr Abass Akande Onilewura, alleged that Mr Kwankwaso, a former Governor of Kano State, sacrificed Kano State for a ministerial slot in the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“The loss of the party in Kano corroborated the anti-party allegation raised against Kwankwaso,” the party stalwart said on Thursday.
“This loss is a big one for us at NNPP, and it only happened because of the selfishness of Kwankwaso, who sold the party to the highest bidder.
“While we are still waiting for the Certified True Copy of the tribunal judgment, it is important for the world to know that this would not have happened if Kwankwaso had allowed due process and given the ticket to the most qualified candidate but his in-law,” he claimed.
“Our investigation also showed that the continuous engagement of Kwankwaso with APC at some point allowed them to discover loopholes which were later used against the Kano governor to secure victory for the opposition.
“I will also urge our members across the country to remain calm because a new leadership has taken over the party, and we will do everything to restore the glory of our party. NNPP will become a strong voice and opposition that would stand for justice, equity, and good governance.”
“It is unfortunate that some of us sweat to get the party to where it is today, only for someone like Kwankwaso to come and make all our efforts a waste. We are happy that someone like that has been expelled from this great party.
“We also want to use the avenue to warn him to stay clear of NNPP, we don’t want a betrayal in our party, and we would do anything humanly possible to secure our party from hijackers who are more concerned about personal gain,” he further said.
Mr Abba lost at the tribunal after it was held that the margin of votes scored by the NNPP was invalid and not in compliance with the 2022 electoral act.
The party had 165,663 votes deducted from its total because the ballot papers were not stamped or signed.
