The National leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has condemned former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for accusing the party of receiving sponsorship from the Federal Government, particularly regarding the expulsion of former presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso and the suspension of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NNPP’s National Secretary, Oginni Olaposi, rejected El-Rufai’s claims, calling them a diversion from the real issues affecting the party.
El-Rufai, who recently switched from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had suggested that the Federal Government was behind the internal crises and litigation in opposition parties, especially targeting the NNPP’s actions against Kwankwaso and Yusuf.
El-Rufai remarked, “The last thing I read about the NNPP was that one faction of the party had expelled Kwankwaso and the sitting governor. When you see things like that, you’ll know it’s a contrived crisis. Which party sacks a sitting governor, and that’s the only governor they have?”
In response, Olaposi demanded that El-Rufai retract his statements and issue an apology within 48 hours. He provided a series of questions meant to disprove the allegations of federal interference, including asking whether it was the Federal Government that urged Kwankwaso to approach Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam in 2022 for the NNPP platform, or if the Federal Government played any role in the alleged illegal change of the party’s logo.
“The Federal Government had no role in our internal party issues. The crisis arose from actions taken by Kwankwaso and his allies,” Olaposi stated.
Olaposi also warned El-Rufai of legal action if the apology was not issued within the stipulated timeframe.
“We are giving Mallam Nasir El-Rufai 48 hours to issue an unreserved public apology to Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam, the party leadership, and the NNPP for the baseless allegations. Failure to do so will result in legal action for defamation,” Olaposi concluded.
