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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Selected state chairmen of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have pulled their weight behind the embattled Presidential candidate of the party in the last general election and former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and called for peace in the party.
Osun State chairman of the party, Dr Tosin Odeyemi who spoke on behalf of his counterparts called on the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the party, Dr. Okechukwu Aniebonam to step into the matter with a view to resolving all the wranglings within the party.
Despite the issues within the party, Odeyemi informed that the NNPP is waxing stronger on daily basis and made case for the continuous growth of the party.
Going down the genesis of the party’s crisis, the NNPP leader stated that “crisis started when the leadership of the party started what is called restructuring, and thereby asked the executives of some states that have petitions hanging on them to step aside for diligent investigations.”
He identified Ekiti, Enugu, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Rivers and Zamfara as states affected by the restructuring policy of the party’s leadership.
It was learnt that NNPP chairmen in the states alleged, after their dissolutions, that Kwakwanso in collaboration with some people in the party amended the constitution “in their attempt to hijack the party’s structure”
“They thereby asked Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso to tender his immediate resignation or risk indefinite suspension over his alleged involvement in anti-party activities.
“This infuriated some of the state chairmen who saw their action as that of a drowning man who is looking for any insignificant thing to hold.
“The dissolution of their states’ executives is just to investigate the petitions against them and if they have no skeleton in their cupboards they will be vindicated and reinstated at the end,” Odeyemi added.
He cautioned the aggrieved chairmen to thread softly so as not to start a war that may be difficult for them to end.
Odeyemi noted that Senator Kwankwaso tried for the party and his name cannot be rubished because of the frivolous accusation which his accusers cannot substantiate.
His words, “They claimed that Sen. Kwankwaso and President Bola Tinubu are usually holding meetings, are they telling us that the longtime friendship between the duo should be jettisoned on the altar of politics?
“We, as State Chairmen, have friends in other political parties and the cordial relationship is there, even we have different political party members under the same roof.
“What is expected of them is to face the disciplinary committee with their defence, clear themselves of whatever allegations but for them to feel they can malign Kwankwaso will not work.
“Senator Kwankwaso is our leader and we respect him so much. He brought prestige to our party and through his efforts, our party challenged the status quo in Kano State and we disgraced the sitting party with federal might.
“I want to tell you that no move or plan by any element can distablise NNPP in Nigeria. We have become a force to be reckoned with and we cannot write these success stories without mentioning the name of Senator Kwankwaso,” he added.
Odeyemi wondered why somebody that has been expelled from the party in Ogun state, Olaposi Oginni, will still be signing statements on behalf of the authentic party chairmen that were just asked to step aside.
“In what capacity is Mr. Olaposi Oginni who has been expelled from our party acting? This poser should make these dissolved executives to know that Oginni is just looking for those to sink together with. Oginni should leave us as we are one indivisible party,” he stated.
He however urged the aggrieved members to look for an amicable approach in settling the matter.
