Court nullifies NNPP’s dissolution of party structures amid leadership crisis

The internal crisis rocking the Kwankwasiyya faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) took a new turn on Tuesday as a Kano State High Court nullified the dissolution of the party’s state, local government and ward executive councils in the state.

The court’s intervention followed last week’s decision by the NNPP National Working Committee (NWC) to dissolve all party structures in Kano after suspending the state chairman, Hashim Dungurawa, and appointing Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as acting chairman.

In an ex parte order granted by Justice Nasiru Saminu, the court restrained the NWC from taking any further action affecting the party’s leadership structure in Kano, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed by the plaintiffs.

Read also: Tension in Kano as Kwankwaso, Kano gov clash over support for Tinubu

The suit, marked No. K/06/2026, was filed by Abdullahi Zubairu Imam and five others on behalf of the NNPP executive committees across the 44 local government areas of Kano State against the party, challenging the dissolution of the executives.

Granting an interim injunction, Justice Saminu directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante as of December 30, 2025, before the dissolution directive issued by the party’s national leadership.

In the ruling, the court restrained the NNPP, its National Working Committee, agents, or any persons acting on its behalf from appointing caretaker committees at the state, local government or ward levels in Kano, or taking any further steps relating to the subject matter of the suit, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

The court also granted the applicants leave to serve court processes on the NNPP at its national secretariat in Abuja, outside the jurisdiction of the Kano State High Court. The order was signed by the court registrar, Abba Sa’ad.

The matter was adjourned to February 10, 2026, for mention.

The leadership crisis within the NNPP in Kano erupted after Dungurawa publicly distanced the party and the founder of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from alleged plans by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Dungurawa described such a move as a “sheer act of betrayal of trust.”

He also warned party structures against endorsing any political realignment with the APC and urged Governor Yusuf not to undermine the trust reposed in him by the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Shortly after his remarks, Dungurawa was suspended by his Gargari Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area over allegations of instigating crisis and division within the party, denigrating the person and office of the governor, and failing to pay party dues.

Less than 24 hours after the suspension, the NNPP State Executive Council affirmed the nomination of Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as Acting State Chairman. The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the party’s state executive committee held at the NNPP secretariat in Kano and announced by the Assistant Legal Adviser, Yusuf Mukhtar, who said the appointment was in line with the party’s constitution.

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