NNPP crisis deepens as faction blocks Kwankwaso from 2027 presidential race

The leadership crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) worsened on Sunday as a faction of the party formally ruled out former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from contesting its presidential ticket in the 2027 general election.

The factional national secretary of the party, Ogini Olaposi, said in a statement that the NNPP’s 2027 presidential ticket would be available only to what he described as “bona fide members” of the party, thereby excluding Kwankwaso, who flew the party’s flag in the 2023 presidential election.

Olaposi attributed the decision to lingering disputes between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya movement, noting that the alliance between both groups was based on a memorandum of association signed in 2022, which lapsed after the 2023 polls.

According to him, alleged anti-party activities by key figures within the Kwankwasiyya movement after the elections led to the expulsion of its leading members, including Kwankwaso and elder statesman Buba Galadima.

“Those expulsions have not been reversed,” Olaposi said, insisting that the former governor remains ineligible to seek the party’s ticket.

He said the NNPP had resolved not to repeat the 2023 arrangement in which the presidential ticket was handed exclusively to Kwankwaso, stressing that the party would adopt an open and competitive process ahead of 2027.

The factional secretary disclosed that a number of aspirants, including two based in the diaspora, had already indicated interest in the party’s presidential ticket, adding that the NNPP was also open to alliances with like-minded political parties.

Olaposi also took a swipe at Kwankwaso’s claim that any party he joins must concede its presidential ticket to him, describing such a stance as unrealistic.

He argued that Kwankwaso lacks the nationwide appeal enjoyed by President Bola Tinubu and claimed that his political influence in Kano State had diminished, following the defection of several key members of the Kwankwasiyya movement to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to Olaposi, the APC’s strength going into the 2027 election would be driven by its record in office rather than individual political influence.

He further advised political parties interested in alliances with the NNPP to engage only with the party’s “legitimate and court-recognised” national working committee.

“Kwankwaso and his group remain expelled from the NNPP and therefore cannot negotiate on behalf of the party,” Olaposi added.