The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has pointed fingers at its former presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as the culprit behind the loss of Kano governor, Yusuf Abba, at the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The party alleges that Kwankwaso’s actions cut a deal with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in exchange for a ministerial appointment in the potential President Bola Tinubu-led government, at the detriment of NNPP’s governorship seat.
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA reports that the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal recently ruled against Abba, declaring the APC candidate, Nasir Gawuna, the winner of the March 18 governorship poll and subsequently ordered withdrawer of Abba’s Certificate of Return.
The tribunal’s decision was attributed to the margin of votes scored by NNPP, which was deemed invalid and non-compliant with the 2022 electoral act.
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The tribunal judges deducted 165,663 votes from NNPP, citing that the ballot papers for these votes were neither stamped nor signed, rendering them invalid.
In response, one of the Chieftain of NNPP in Southwest, Alhaji Abass Akande Onilewura, in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday, accused Kwankwaso of anti-party activities that contributed to the party’s loss in Kano.
Onilewura claimed that Kwankwaso failed to follow due process in selecting certain governorship candidates for the party, leading to the nomination of unpopular or unacceptable flagbearers.
He said, “This loss is a big one for us at NNPP and it only happened because of the selfishness of Kwankwaso who sold the party to the highest bidder.
“While we are still waiting for the Certified True Copy of the tribunal judgment, it is important for the world to know that this would not have happened if Kwankwaso had allowed due process and given the ticket to the most qualified candidate but his inlaw.
“Our investigation also showed that the continuous engagement of Kwankwaso with APC at some point gave room for them to discover loopholes which were later used against the Kano governor to secure victory for the opposition.
“It is unfortunate that some of us sweat to get the party to where it is today, only for someone like Kwankwaso to come and make all our efforts a waste. We are happy that someone like that has been expelled from this great party.
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“We also want to use the avenue to warn him to stay clear of NNPP, we don’t want a betrayal in our party and we would do anything humanly possible to secure our party from hijackers who are more concerned about personal gain.
“I will also urge our members across the country to remain calm because a new leadership has taken over the party and we would do everything to restore the glory of our party. NNPP will come out to become a strong voice and opposition that would stand for justice, equity, and good governance.”