The victory of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) at the Supreme Court in its appeal over the governorship election in Kano State has triggered wide-ranging permutations in some circles, especially within the rank and file of the party. TAOFEEK LAWAL writes on the frantic efforts by the leadership of the party to dispel rumours about a pact between the party and President Bola Tinubu ahead of the politics of 2027.
Reprieve finally came the way of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) as the Supreme Court, on Friday, January 12, 2024, affirmed the election of Governor Kabir Yusuf as the governor of Kano State. A five-man panel led by Justice Inyang Okoro declared Kabir Yusuf governor, throwing away the verdicts of the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court which had nullified the election of the governor and pronounced Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor.
The state election petition tribunal had, last September, nullified Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s election and in the process deducted 165,663 votes from his 1,019,602 votes, leaving him with 853,939 votes. So, he dropped to the second position behind his closest challenger, Gawuna of the APC, who the tribunal said got 890,705 votes. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Yusuf as the winner of the March 18, 2023 election after he polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat Gawuna, who scored 890,705 votes. The tribunal however premised its decisions on the fact that the ballot papers (165,663) were not stamped, signed and dated as required by law.
The Appeal Court not only aligned itself with the tribunal which voided Yusuf’s victory but added a curious twist in its verdict. In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel headed by Justice Moore Adumien, the appellate court ruled that Governor Kabir Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP when the election was held. According to the appellate court, Yusuf’s name was not in any of the membership registers of the NNPP tendered before the tribunal which it said contravened section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution.
While the apex court judgment put a final stop to the legal battle which raged for almost a year, it has since thrown up fresh permutations ahead of the next general elections in the North West state. Indeed, the battle for Kano votes may have begun between the NNPP and the APC.
A number of assumptions and presumptions are being thrown up as the journey to the 2027 general election starts. There are insinuations in some circles that Kwakwanso struck a deal with Tinubu to leave Kano for the NNPP in exchange for 2027 when the president will be vying for second term in office and will need the massive votes that the North-West state is capable of bringing to the table.
Recall the coalition of forces that led to the formation of the APC in 2015 when legacy parties like the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) came together to form the erstwhile main opposition party.
Reports were that the NNPP national leader and its former presidential candidate, Kwakwanso, reached an understanding with President Tinubu to leave Kano for his party as far as 2027 is concerned. It would be recalled that shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 elections, Kwakwanso met with Tinubu in France where they discussed ‘very important matters’ about Nigeria. There was another meeting between them at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. It was reported that the president was ready to offer the NNPP strongman a ministerial offer but Kwakwanso’s name was missing when the ministerial list was released by the authorities.
In the midst of all the speculations, Kwakwanso denied having any agreement with the President about the Supreme Court judgment that ruled in favour of Governor Yusuf of Kano State. He went down memory lane when he mentioned how he and Tinubu had been political mates and how they formed the APC.
“What happened at the Supreme Court is a lesson for all of us. I know that I mean well for everyone. Throughout the period, I have not done anything to anyone. And anybody would reap what he sows. To the best of my knowledge, I have not reached an agreement with anybody. All I know is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is my contemporary. I joined politics at the same time as him in the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Then, he was a senator and I was serving as the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1999, he was my colleague as the governor of Lagos State. We founded the APC together and we participated fully in the struggles which followed up. People should know that a lie has a short life. Despite the machinations those people staged, the judges have done what is right. There is no problem. They have their party; we have our own. We will work together where necessary. On the issue of joining the government, only time can tell,” Kwakwanso stated while speaking with BBC Hausa Service.
Also, the acting national chairman of the NNPP, Abba Kawu Ali, dismissed the insinuations that the party may be working towards payback time for President Tinubu’s reelection in 2027.
Speaking in Abuja, the NNPP leader said the president could summon anybody to the Villa, irrespective of political leanings, to discuss issues affecting the country and how to progress as a nation. “I think the issue of our national leader meeting with the president has been addressed severally. Remember, this is a democracy. We are not enemies of any other political party. Elections have been held and concluded. The President of the Federal Republic may invite you for whatever political reasons. It is not a good thinking for you as a Nigerian citizen to say no to his call.
“The president invited our presidential candidate to the villa, I think one or two times. It’s not something hidden. There was even a time he (Kwakwanso) went to the Villa and came out to address the press immediately and informed them about their discussion. So, for us as NNPP family, there is nothing wrong with a presidential invitation. The President of Nigeria can’t invite you and you refuse. That our presidential candidate answered the call of the president should not be seen as anything. The fact he (Kwankwaso) went there does not mean we are in an alliance or that we are proposing to have a merger or whatever with any political party. If at all this will happen, this is not the time.
“This is politics and anything can happen. You cannot predict what will happen tomorrow. But for now, there is nothing like this. We are a law-abiding and straightforward political party,” Kawu Ali said.
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