ABUJA- THE National Working Committee, NWC of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP has rejected the convention that led to Dr. Agbo Major’s emergence as the party’s new National Chairman, describing him as a product of a beer parlour meeting.
According to NNPP, the convention was illegitimate and that Dr Ajuji Ahmed remains the only recognised National Chairman of the party.
Addressing Journalists yesterday the party’s National Headquarters, Abuja, the NNPP National Chairman, Dr. Ajuji Ahmed who boasted that the party does not have Sleepless nights following the actions of the other group, said that the party is intact, contended, firmly rooted and satisfied with the state of the party that is preparing to win the 2027 Presidential Election, just as he said that the party was opened to Coalition, as its leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso was free to hold meetings with political party, groups or individuals.
Ahmed who is leading the NNPP that is loyal to 2023 NNPP Presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, said that it is clearly against the law, and against common decency, for any group under the guise of any identity different from what the party stands for to refer to itself as NNPP, just as he stressed that the NNPP did not have any National Convention in recent times, meaning that no NWC was inaugurated any new NWC, adding that the current NNPP NWC was constituted in the year 2022 under the supervision of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, 2022.
Ahmed said, “This same hired and sponsored emergency collection of characters gathered themselves in Lagos three days ago in the name of NNPP to hold a ludicrous charade of tipsy comedians, when a Court of competent jurisdiction in Abuja on gave a clear and unmistakable injunction against them not to hold that meeting. They defied the court ruling and went ahead to hold a beer parlour meeting in a hotel lobby which they now called National Convention.
“We want to use this medium to inform and confirm to the world that the NNPP does not operate from Apapa, we did not hold any convention this year in any hotel lobby in Lagos. Visit the INEC website and confirm for yourselves that our Party is never chaired by a Major (serving or retired) or a Dr. Major or an Agbo
Major Dr, or whatever. Our NWC was inaugurated here in Abuja in April 2022 for a tenure of four years which ends in April 2026, and it is here in Abuja that our Party is Headquartered and operates from in accordance with the laws of the land.”
Recall that on Tuesday last week, the Dr Boniface Aniebonam led faction of the party elected Dr Agbo Major as the new National Chairman of NNPP.
The convention, which was held on Tueday was attended by delegates and officers of the party at national and state levels.
Besides Agbo, other elected officers were Oginni Olaposi, National Secretary; Chief Felix Chukwurah, Deputy National Chairman (South); Mr Adetoyese Omokanye, National Treasurer; Alhaji Babayo Muhammed, Deputy National Chairman (North); and Abdulrasaq Abdulsallam as National Publicity Secretary.
The delegates also elected Hajia Aisha Kade as National Woman Leader, Chief Edward Ofomona as National Youth Leader, and Omolara Johnson as National Organising Secretary, among others.
Ahmed’s text read, “We, as a Political Party, would have wanted to ignore recent developments concerning this Party, except for the open assualt on the integrity of the Party and the psyche of Nigerians, by some sponsored elements posing as members and leaders of the Party. This Press Conference, therefore, is aimed at presenting the true state of affairs in the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
“I wish to start by acknowledging the presence in our midst today of our NNPP members of the National Assembly led by our Distinguished Ranking Senator Rufa’i Hanga. They are at the National Headquarters of our Party on a solidarity visit, and also as part of the regular consultation between our elected representatives on the platform of the Party and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Party.
“Let me at this juncture inform you, and through you inform the world that there is only one NNPP under the leadership of my humble self as its National Chairman, and this NWC, with this building as the National Headquarters of the Party known to law and to the regulating agency for political parties in Nigeria, i.e. the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Furthermore, the only logo of the NNPP that is known to law is the one with Red, White, Red colours with a book and academic cap in the middle, with the slogan EDUCATION FOR ALL. A visit to the INEC Website will confirm all this information.
“Against the background of all these, it is clearly against the law, and against common decency, for any group under the guise of any identity different from what I have enumerated above, to refer to itself as NNPP. For this reason, therefore, the NNPP did not have any National Convention in recent times and so we did not
inaugurate any new National Working Committee (NWC). The current NNPP NWC was constituted in the year 2022 under the supervision of INEC as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, 2022.
“Let me quickly touch on the game some of these former members of this Party are playing, prodded on by some politicians who are scared of the opposition, because they are afraid of their own shadows as we march towards the 2027 elections.
“Immediately after the 2023 general elections, some members of this Party who openly played anti-party activities were subjected to proper disciplinary procedures and were found wanting. They were duly sanctioned, but instead of exploring the internal mechanisms put in place by the Party to address their grievances, they decided to release themselves as willing tools to outsiders in order to distract the attention of the Party. They have been jumping from pillar to post, going from one court to the other, and swiftly losing one case after another, in practically every corner of the country. They have been to, and lost, in courts in Abuja, Ekiti, Port Harcourt, Awka, Kano, and Katsina, all the time desperately seeking to mislead the courts and abuse all known court processes. All those have failed.
“In their confusion, in November 2024, they took themselves to Court in Abia State, in the name of NNPP. Meanwhile, an Abuja Federal High Court as far back as April 2024 had ruled that, as expelled former members of the Party, they should stop parading themselves as NNPP members or leaders in any shape or form. The Federal High Court judgment of 18th April, 2024, declared them as impostors, having been expelled by the party, and as such can neither sue in the name of the party nor against the party.
“For the purpose of clarity, on the 16th of January 2025, the High Court of FCT, gave an Order restraining them and their privies, proxies and whosoever from carrying out any official duty or activity for or on behalf of NNPP. The said orders were served on them, they have briefed their lawyers, they have appeared before the courts and filed their processes. Yet with brazen disregard to the orders of the court, the same group have gone ahead to hold this unlawful meeting and have purported to have elected members of a kangaroo National Working Committee. We are in court today 7th February 2025, and INEC has filed their process denying knowledge and existence of the so-called convention in Apapa and the purported election.
“By the provisions of Section 83 of the Electoral Act, INEC must monitor all the activities of all Political Parties in Nigeria and keep records of such activities. By the provisions of Section 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is a condition precedent for the registration and recognition of an association as a political party.
” Your media houses were all represented at the unveiling of our New logo with red white red with a book and an academic cap as well as the new Constitution of our Party which was witnessed by INEC and have been duly approved. Yet, to our dismay some media houses have been parading the old Logo and thereby promoting the mischief and deceit of the renegade group.
We wish to use this medium and for the umpteenth time introduce the authentic and statutorily recognized Logo of NNPP to all of you today. Any further display of a Logo of the NNPP other than this very one is against the law.
“The greatest danger to any democracy is the disregard for the rule of law. When a group of pretentious politicians consistently defies and shows contempt for the rule of law, and openly mocks our judicial system and our courts, you begin to wonder what set of unseen hands is behind the veil pushing them. It must be the same obvious forces that seek to bring chaos and disorder in all other opposition parties in our democracy.
For those same forces, the best case scenario in the lead up to 2027 is the absence of all opposition, knowing full well that 2027 would practically be unsurmountable for them, given the rampant weaponization of hunger and desperation across the land. Be that as it may, history bears witness to the unalterable fact that the true hallmark of a vibrant democracy is a robust opposition. It is this robust opposition the NNPP will continue to represent on behalf of the good people of Nigeria.
” We want to use this medium to inform and confirm to the world that the NNPP does not operate from Apapa, we did not hold any convention this year in any hotel lobby in Lagos. Visit the INEC website and confirm for yourselves that our Party is never chaired by a Major (serving or retired) or a Dr. Major or an Agbo Major Dr, or whatever. Our NWC was inaugurated here in Abuja in April 2022 for a tenure of four yearswhich ends in April 2026, and it is here in Abuja that our Party is Headquartered and operates from in accordance with the laws of the land.”
