. Kwankwasiyya movement reacts, says ‘it’s joke taken too far, they’re clowns’
The crisis rocking the New Nigeria People’s Party on Tuesday worsened as a faction of the party under the leadership of Major Agbo suspended Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, for six months over his failure to appear before a disciplinary committee.
The Governor was invited to defend an alleged Infraction against the party’s constitution, but allegedly failed to honour the faction’s invitation.
National Secretary of the faction, Ogini Olaposi, announced Governor Yusuf’s suspension
at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ogini, who addressed newsmen at the party secretariat, disclosed that the Board of Trustees took the decision to suspend the Kano Governor in the interest of the party.
He added that they had yet to come to terms with what the Governor, a national figure who was elected on the platform of the NNPP, was doing at an ‘illegal national convention’ of the Kwankwasiya group led by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso in Abuja on April 6.
Ogini said, “We called this media conference to brief you on developments resulting from the recent invitation to Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano to appear before a disciplinary committee to explain infractions on the party constitution.
“Nigerians need to know the position of the New Nigeria People’s Party following the failure of the governor to appear before the Disciplinary Committee to explain the reason(s) His Excellency, who was elected on the party’s platform and a national figure of NNPP participated in an illegal/ factional national convention of NNPP held by the Kwankwasiya group at Wuse 2 in Abuja on Saturday, 6th April.
“The leadership of the NNPP to strengthen our internal disciplinary and democratic measures, most especially in the area of party supremacy without prejudice, is left with no other options than to decisively take necessary action according to the letters of NNPP Constitution 2022 as amended.
“With the approval of the Board of Trustees of New Nigeria Peoples Party and the unanimous decision of the National Working Committee of our great Party, His Excellency, Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State is hereby suspended for six months with immediate effect.”
Reacting, National Secretary of the Kwankwasiyya faction of NNPP, Dipo Olayoku, described the purported suspension of the Governor as a joke taken too far by ‘a bunch of clowns’ who he claimed had long been expelled from the party.
He said, “Gov Abba Yusuf was suspended in what capacity? These people are not members of the NNPP. They only want to make news. We don’t know them because they are not members of our party. After all, they have all been suspended, and there is a court order banning them from parading themselves as party members.
“So, how can non-members of NNPP suspend a governor? They are just clowns having fun because you can only suspend someone if you have a party. They don’t have a party and INEC has a record of members of the party. They are just out there making people laugh.”