Following a court order in Abia State, the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) announced on Tuesday that it has resolved to take control of the party’s affairs, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to comply with the ruling.
The Founder and Life Member of the Board, Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam, made this announcement at a world press conference in Lagos, attended by other party chieftains, including Abdulrasak Abdulsalami, Dr. Goodluck Onochie, and Chief Ralph Nwoye, among others. He reiterated that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, along with Buba Galadima, remains expelled.
Aniebonam stated that the party is now securely in the hands of its Board of Trustees (BOT) following the court’s decision, asserting that those “who were long expelled from the party before the judgment cannot speak for NNPP but for their Kwankwassiya Group, which was part of us before the 2023 election but has since exited. This has been repeatedly explained to the media in the past.”
The party leader also announced that the BOT of NNPP would meet on Friday, November 8, 2024, to make specific decisions in line with the court’s order, urging elected Senators, House of Representatives members, and state Assembly members on the party’s platform to reclaim their party.
“Distinguished members of the media, the recent Abia State High Court judgment compelling INEC to hand over the management of the New Nigeria People’s Party to its Board of Trustees and subsequent developments are why we invited you here today.
“First, it is important to clarify that the party is securely in the hands of its BoT, and Senator Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima, and others expelled from the party before the judgment cannot represent NNPP. They only represent their Kwankwassiya Group, which parted ways with us after the 2023 election,” he said.
ALSO READ:Reps demand documents on 17-year-old vaccine production agreement
Aniebonam emphasized that the court’s decision cannot be appealed by Kwankwaso or anyone else except INEC, expressing hope that the electoral body will now invite the party’s BOT to update its records in line with the court’s order.
“It is our belief that within 24 hours of this compelling order, INEC should invite the Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria People’s Party to amend their records as directed by the court.
“In the meantime, the Board will convene on November 8, 2024, to take specific actions as per the court’s ruling.
“We urge all party members to remain calm and law-abiding in the face of extreme provocation.
“Please remember, we are people of faith; victory is surely ours, as we only sought to mediate peace and must not be rewarded with blood-stained hands,” he stated.
