NNPP urges INEC to disregard Kwankwasiyya congresses, calls exercise invalid

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the general public to disregard the congresses announced by the Kwankwasiyya Movement led by Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, describing the exercise as unconstitutional and invalid.

Ogini Olaposi, NNPP National Secretary, in a statemant, said the party had already conducted its congresses as ordered by the court, adding that any parallel exercise should be seen as a violation of due process.

This reaction follows a letter reportedly sent by the Kwankwaso-led faction to INEC, indicating plans to conduct fresh congresses and a convention between November 25 and January 2026.

Read also: APC wooing Kwankwaso ahead of 2027 polls, says Kano NNPP chairman

The NNPP maintained that the faction lacked the authority to conduct congresses on its behalf, noting that the Memorandum of Association it once had with the Kwankwasiyya group ahead of the 2023 presidential election had expired.

The party further emphasised that Kwankwaso — its 2023 presidential candidate — and some members of the Kwankwasiyya group remain expelled from the party for alleged anti-party activities.

“We are still amazed that a man of Kwankwaso’s standing will insist on hijacking a party that gave him a soft landing to contest the 2023 presidential election for free,” the statement read.

The NNPP urged INEC to uphold its statutory responsibilities by obeying existing court orders and ensuring that the party’s authentic leadership is uploaded on the commission’s website.

The move by the national secretary is coming against the backdrop of an intensified internal battle with the Kwankwasiyya Movement, led by former presidential candidate, Kwankwaso, following renewed attempts by the faction to conduct fresh congresses and a national convention.

Tensions between both sides have persisted since after the 2023 general election, when the party’s Memorandum of Association with the Kwankwasiyya group — an arrangement that facilitated Kwankwaso’s emergence as the party’s presidential flag bearer — broke down.

Following a wave of mutual accusations, the NNPP leadership announced the expulsion of Kwankwaso and several of his allies over alleged anti-party activities. The Kwankwasiyya group, however, has maintained a parallel structure, insisting that it represents the authentic leadership of the party.

The development underscores the ongoing struggle for control within the NNPP, a party that emerged as one of the significant political actors in the 2023 elections, particularly in Kano State.

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