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The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has refuted claims by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, that the federal government is behind the party’s internal crisis.
The party clarified that the government had no role in the expulsion of its 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, or the suspension of Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.
NNPP’s National Secretary, Oginni Sunday, in a statement issued in Abeokuta, dismissed El-Rufai’s claims as baseless, describing them as “the cry of a drowning man.”
This response comes after El-Rufai, who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), alleged that the ruling APC was orchestrating crises within opposition parties, including the NNPP.
Oginni challenged El-Rufai’s assertions, questioning whether the federal government was responsible for Kwankwaso’s initial request to join NNPP, his alleged mismanagement of party funds, or his failure to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee.
He also accused Kwankwaso of hijacking the party’s convention, illegally changing its logo, and misappropriating campaign funds.
The NNPP has given El-Rufai a 48-hour ultimatum to issue a public apology for his remarks or face legal action for defamation.
The lawmaker representing the Ideato Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by a pro-Nyesom Wike group to stop the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from fielding candidates in the 2027 elections.
The lawmaker made the allegations on Wednesday while addressing journalists regarding the crisis rocking the main opposition party.
According to him, the Wike group, led by the embattled National Secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu, is plotting to obtain a court judgment that will permanently stop the PDP from fielding both presidential and governorship candidates.
