BEING TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE (NWC) ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2023 AT THE NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, 11, MAHATMA GANDHI STREET, OFF LORD LUGARD, AREA 11, ABUJA. TIME 2PM.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, you are warmly welcome to this Press Conference by the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
I wish to draw the attention of the World to the Press Conference addressed by the renegade group of some expelled members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), which has finally revealed to discerning Nigerians that the problems ‘rocking’ the party is a case of the “hand of Esau, but the voice of Joseph”. But, it is rather unfortunate that someone or some people can descend so low as to “turn their back outside, and be urinating into the house”. (Popular Yoruba proverb to describe someone behaving like a vagabond).
We saw it coming. That was why we issued a Press Release on Monday, December 4, 2023, that some expelled members of the NNPP have been hired by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to discredit the person of His Excellency, the elected Governor of Kano State, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, and falsely claim that he is not a member of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). And that is exactly what they did with their World Press Conference. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
For the sake of emphasis, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf is a bonafide member of the New Nigeria People’s Party. He registered in his Diso- Chiranchi Ward, Gwale Local Government of Kano on March 27, 2022. He took part in all the processes approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Guidelines for the 2023 elections. His name was published in the first and second (final) lists of Candidates in September 2022, for the March 18, 2023 General Elections. This gave enough room for whoever had any issue with any Candidate or nomination to approach the courts hence it is classified under pre-election matter as ruled by the Courts including the Supreme Court in the past.
For some group of expelled members of the NNPP to claim that Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf is not a member of the Party, to say the least, is “preposterous” and portrays these people as engaging in ‘Amala and ewedu’ (or better still, Stomach Infrastructure) politics. We are not surprised. That is their stock in trade. They have been using the platform of the NNPP, in every pre- 2023 general election,
to negotiate with other parties, and not to contest elections. All the people who contested on the platform of the party in the past did so out of their individual and personal commitment against the directives of the party management. Unfortunately for them, they could not freely achieve this kind of arrangement in the last General election, because of the emergence of serious Candidates who came into the Party in February/March 2022. However, in some States they still did havoc to the interest of the Party, which made the new party hierarchy investigate and sanction them in the new spirit of the NNPP.
Those on whom the Disciplinary hammer of the party fell, gathered themselves and claimed they have formed a faction. Someone or some people who have either been suspended or expelled cannot gather under any guise to act on behalf of the Party. As we speak, a Court of competent jurisdiction has restrained them from parading themselves as leaders of the Party, but because of their penchant for disobeying Court Orders, they continue to act in that manner, boasting that they have the backing of the ruling government in Nigeria, and that no Court can stop them. In clear disrespect for the Constitution of our Party, they constituted themselves into various nomenclatures, without recourse to INEC, the regulatory agency. For the purpose of clarification, once a party is recognized by the INEC, the setting up of organs of the party is no more something that can be done by an individual in the corner of his room. The process of the emergence of individuals in these organs of the party must be witnessed by INEC, which is the case with the Abba Kawu Ali -led National Working Committee (NWC) which came into existence on March 30, 2022 at a well- attended National Convention witnessed by INEC officials, for a four-year tenure. This is the only authentic NNPP NWC.
NNPP is no longer a one- man show where some hand-picked members (by an individual) of a non-existent Board can dissolve a whole National Working Committee (NWC).
They have been mounting pressure on INEC to recognize their illegal association without success. Beyond that, they have been going from one Court to the other, shopping for illegal Orders to thwart the advancement of democracy. So far they have failed. We salute the courage of those Judges who have remained steadfast in upholding the proper rule of law.
We wish to State at this point that the Abba Kawu Ali -led NWC has not lost faith in the judiciary. What we are saying is that there should be uniformity in the dispensation of justice at all times. If the apex Court in the land (Supreme Court) has given a ruling that a non-member of a political party cannot question the membership of someone in that party, that should be the general principle.
As to the “recent unrest” in Kano State as described by the expelled members of the NNPP, the party under Abba Kawu Ali is a peaceful and peace loving one. Even during the last General election a sitting member of the House of Representatives led political thugs to our Secretariat and burned down the place with 13 members of the NNPP inside, we did not resort to violence. Though the blood of those innocent ones is crying out for justice, we know one day, everyone will be made to account for what he/she has done.
Gentlemen of the Press, from the speech of the so called World Press conference addressed by these expelled members of the NNPP, you will see the language of the APC. All the sentiments in the speech are in favour of the APC. We are aware of the understanding between this group of expelled members of NNPP and APC. Their next phase is to use the Court to legitimize their existence and then proceed to withdraw our Appeal against the Kano Ruling at the Supreme Court. The same thing APC is doing with the Labour Party.
Our Appeal to APC is to face governance. They have used all means to grab power, they should at least face governance. If they devote 25% of the energy they are dissipating in scattering opposition parties on governance, our Naira will not be on this downward journey into the abyss. Even with the removal of the so called subsidy, fuel is still not available at filling Stations. Nigerians are now experiencing the worst form of multi-dimensional poverty in the history of mankind. Insecurity continues to get worse by the day. The Government of APC is not interested in providing good governance but just interested in how to muzzle opposition parties and other institutions in the country.
Distinguished ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, to sum it up, we the authentic NNPP leadership are saying without any equivocation that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State is a bonafide member of the NNPP. The party is solidly behind him as we all march forward to reclaim the mandate freely given to him by the good people of Kano State.
Once again we thank you for coming.
Long live NNPP!
Long live Kano State!!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Abba Kawu Ali
Ag. National Chairman
