Court reverses dissolution of NNPP exco, affirms Abiya’s leadership in Kano

By : Murtala Adewale

Date: 6 January 2026 9:07pm WAT

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New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)

New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)

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

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had last week announced the dissolution of all NNPP structures in Kano following the suspension of the state chairman, Hon. Hashim Dungurawa, who was subsequently replaced by Abdullahi Abiya in an acting capacity.

However, in an ex parte order granted by Justice Nasiru Saminu, the court restrained the NNPP National Working Committee from taking any further steps concerning the leadership structure of the party in Kano pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed by the plaintiffs.

The suit, marked No. K/06/2026, was instituted by Abdullahi Zubairu Imam and five others on behalf of the NNPP executive committees in the 44 local government areas of the state against the New Nigerian Peoples Party as defendant, challenging their dissolution.

In the interim injunction, Justice Saminu directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante as of December 30, 2025, prior to the dissolution directive issued by the party’s NWC.

The court order read in part: “After hearing on the matter filed by K.K. Njidda Esq with S.A. Muhammad Esq, counsels to the Applicants, the court hereby order an interim injunction restraining the Defendant/Respondent either by himself, his agents, privies, cohort, ad-hoc Committees, National Working Committee or any other persons acting on its instruction howsoever described from appointing Caretaker Committees for the State, Local Government and Ward levels Executives of Kano State or taking any further step in respect of the subject matter of this suit pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed before this court.

“An order of interim injunction mandating the Defendant/Respondent maintain STATUS QUO ANTE as at 30 December, 2025 prior to the purported dissolution of the Kano State, Local Government and Ward levels executives pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.

“AN ORDER of this Honorable Court granting the Plaintiffs/Applicants to issue and serve the process in this suit on the Defendant at its National Secretariat situate at 11 Mahatma Gandhi Street, Area 11, Garki Abuja, Nigeria which is outside the jurisdiction of this court.”

A copy of the order was signed by the court registrar, Abba Sa’ad. The matter was adjourned to February 10, 2026, for mention.

The crisis began when Dungurawa publicly distanced the party and the founder of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from the reported plan by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing such a move as a “sheer act of betrayal of trust.”

Dungurawa appealed to Governor Yusuf to avoid jeopardising the trust of the Kwankwasiyya movement and warned party structures against endorsing any political realignment with the APC. His remarks were followed by a suspension notice reportedly initiated from his Gargari Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area of the state, accusing him of instigating crisis and division within the party, denigrating the person and office of Governor Yusuf, and failure to pay party dues.

Less than 24 hours after his suspension, the NNPP State Executive Council affirmed the nomination of Hon. Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as Acting State Chairman of the party in Kano.

The appointment was endorsed at an emergency meeting of the NNPP State Executive Committee held at the party’s secretariat in Kano. The decision was announced by the Assistant Legal Adviser of the party, Barrister Yusuf Mukhtar, who said Abiya’s appointment was in line with the provisions of the NNPP constitution.

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