The New Nigeria People’s Party has apologised to President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress over recent verbal attacks on them by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The party warned Kwankwaso against further using its platform to attack Tinubu and the APC, saying the former Kano State governor had been expelled from the NNPP.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos, the NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Oginni Olaposi, disowned Kwankwaso’s comments, stating that the party has formally severed ties with him and the Kwankwasiya Movement he leads.
We hereby tender an unreserved apology to President Tinubu and the entire APC family, led by Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, for the unwarranted insults, abuse, and maligning statements issued by Kwankwaso,” Olaposi stated.
He clarified that Kwankwaso no longer represents the NNPP in any capacity, following the formal termination of the Memorandum of Understanding between the party and the Kwankwasiya Movement.
Kwankwaso should stop parading himself as a member of our party and using the NNPP’s name to launch attacks against the APC and the Presidency,” Olaposi said. “He was expelled long ago and should look inwards rather than blame others if his followers are now joining the APC.”
Olaposi emphasised that the NNPP, under the leadership of its founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, is committed to constructive national development and not to reckless political attacks.
Dr. Aniebonam has never been known for making reckless statements against constituted authorities in Nigeria,” he noted.
Reiterating that Kwankwaso’s outbursts are his personal opinions, Olaposi said they do not reflect the position of the NNPP.
The recent attacks on President Tinubu are solely the opinions of Kwankwaso and his expelled group,” he said.
The party’s spokesman also referenced multiple court rulings, including a recent judgment by the Abuja High Court on April 3, and others from the Abia State High Court and the FCT High Court, which upheld Kwankwaso’s expulsion from the party.
He concluded by urging the media and the public to stop identifying Kwankwaso as a representative of the NNPP. “Kwankwaso is the leader of the Kwankwasiya Movement, not the NNPP,” Olaposi asserted.
