Court ruling reshapes NNPP leadership tussle in Kano, declares Abiya as authentic chairman

A Kano State High Court ruling has altered the leadership landscape of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the state, after the court upheld the suspension of the party’s embattled chairman, Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, and barred him from acting in that capacity pending further legal determinations.

In an interlocutory decision delivered on Friday, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf of High Court 13 granted an ex parte application affirming Dungurawa’s suspension by his Gargari Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.

The court also restrained him from parading himself as the NNPP chairman in Kano until the substantive matter is determined.

Read also: NNPP NWC declares Kano chairman’s suspension illegal, backs Dungurawa

The suit, marked KN/1218/2026, was filed on December 30, 2025, by Shuaibu Hassan and nine other party members from Gargari Ward against Dungurawa and the NNPP. The applicants asked the court to validate the ward’s disciplinary action, which they said followed allegations of conduct unbecoming of a party leader, including alleged disparagement of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, actions said to have fueled internal divisions, and failure to meet party financial obligations.

Through their Counsel, K. Njidda and S. A. Muhammad, the plaintiffs also sought an interpretation of whether the disciplinary process that led to Dungurawa’s suspension complied with the provisions of the NNPP constitution.

In granting the application, Yusuf ordered that the suspension imposed on December 30, 2025, be maintained and directed all parties to preserve the status quo as it existed after that date. The court further instructed that all relevant processes be served on the respondents. The case was adjourned to January 19, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive motion.

Read also: NNPP Kano chairman denies ouster, says leadership crisis in the party will be resolved soon

Meanwhile, the NNPP State Executive Council has moved swiftly to fill the leadership vacuum. At an emergency meeting held at the party’s state secretariat in Kano, the council ratified the nomination of Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as Acting State Chairman.

Announcing the decision, the party’s Assistant Legal Adviser, Yusuf Mukhtar, said Abiya’s emergence followed due process and was consistent with the provisions of the NNPP constitution.

The latest court ruling and leadership change further underscore the deepening internal crisis within the NNPP in Kano, as party stakeholders await the final determination of the case later this month.

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