From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has insisted that Chief Boniface Aniebonam, Dr. Agbo Major and others who belong to their faction remained expelled from the party.
The chairman of the party in Osun State, Dr Tosin Odeyemi, in a statement on Friday chastised the faction of the party led by Chief Aniebonam, stressing that the faction is insignificant.
He informed that members of the faction were expelled from the party, just as he noted that some members of the faction allegedly misinformed the general public about the judgment delivered by an Abuja High Court on Thursday.
Odeyemi said: “The recalcitrant figures went so low at twisting the judgment in their favour and thereby exposed themselves as characters that can never be trusted with power or responsibility.”
Odeyemi said Justice M. A. Hassan of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Thursday declined jurisdiction in a matter filed by a faction loyal to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, wherein it sought to challenge the legitimacy of Chief Boniface Aniebonam, Dr. Agbo Major and others.
According to him, the claimants had asked the court to restrain some former officials of the party from convening meetings, conducting congresses or presiding over the party’s National Convention because they have been expelled from the party.
The NNPP leader while quoting the judgment delivered by Justice Hassan said: “The court affirmed that internal party disputes are beyond judicial intervention. Having declined jurisdiction in the matter, the sinister faction went to the public, stating that the court effectively dismissed all reliefs sought by the claimants, thereby affirming that the Dr. Agbo Major-led NNPP leadership remains the legitimate authority overseeing the party affairs,” he said.
However, Odeyemi cautioned the group, which he said has no record with INEC as required by the Electoral Act, “to desist from what can further destroy their partly-managed integrity in the society.”
He said, “In as much as it is only political parties that can determine who their leaders are, the party has rejected these people and we have chosen who should lead us, so the ranting faction should wake from their illusions.”