Kwankwaso-Aligned Faction Dismisses Court Ruling Claims

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) faction loyal to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has refuted claims that a recent court ruling reinstated the leadership of the rival group headed by Major Agbo.

Ajuji Ahmed, the national chairman of the Kwankwaso-aligned faction, made this position known after an Abuja High Court on Thursday dismissed a suit filed by his group.

The suit had challenged the legitimacy of a convention that produced Agbo Major and other national working committee (NWC) members, and sought to bar them and the board of trustees (BoT) from holding meetings or presiding over party affairs, citing their earlier expulsion over alleged anti-party activities.

Justice M.A. Hassan, who delivered the ruling, declared that the court lacked jurisdiction, stressing that issues relating to party leadership and membership were internal matters of a political party and not subject to judicial determination.

He stated that courts only have the power to intervene in matters concerning the nomination of candidates for elections.

Following the ruling, Segun Fiki, lawyer to the defendants, told reporters that the court’s decision was a recognition of Major and Boniface Aniebonam as the party’s legitimate leaders.

But in a swift response, Ladipo Johnson, spokesperson for the Ahmed-led faction, clarified that the court did not make any ruling affirming Major’s leadership.

“The honourable court made no comments on the merits of the case before it, quite naturally, as it stated that it has no jurisdiction,” Johnson said.

“Quite expectedly, some of the defendants in the suit who remain expelled from the party have rushed to misinform Nigerians by twisting the judgement. Unlike the falsehoods they put out, there was no pronouncement conferring legitimacy or authority on any so-called board of trustees. The court declined jurisdiction on the ground that it is an internal affair of the party.”

Johnson insisted that the expulsion of Boniface Aniebonam and others remains in effect, pointing to a prior judgment by the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 18, 2024, which affirmed the removal of Aniebonam, Major Agbo, Olaposi Oginni, and others.

He also emphasized that the Ahmed-led leadership is the only one recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), referencing constitutional and electoral provisions that require the names of NWC members to be registered with the commission.

“By virtue of Section 222(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)… it is the NNPP as recognized by INEC, and under the leadership of Dr. Ajuji Ahmed, that is authentic,” he said.

“If you inquire at INEC or simply Google the INEC portal, you will not see the names of Boniface Aniebonam, Major Agbo, Olaposi Oginni, and their cohorts as national working committee members of the NNPP. There are no records of their activities with INEC as required by the Electoral Act.”

Johnson further revealed that in the course of the legal proceedings, INEC had filed an affidavit denying knowledge of the rival faction or their political activities.

He urged the Major-led group to stop what he described as persistent attempts to misinform the public.

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