By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the Feb. 25 presidential election in Nigeria has been expelled from the party barely a week after his suspension.
Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state, North West Nigeria had performed poorly at the election, having won only one state, out of the 36 states of the most populous African country and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
He rejected alliance with the Labour Party’s Peter Obi penultimate the polls in which Obi won 15 states to come third in the contest won by Mr. Bola Tinubu, the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kwankwaso’s expulsion by the party’s National Executive Committee stems from his alleged refusal to appear before a party’s Disciplinary Committee to answer to allegations of anti-party activities.
He had earlier been suspended by the party’s leadership at the National Convention on August 29 in Lagos.
The party’s leadership set up a Disciplinary Committee and directed it to invite Kwankwaso to defend what it called gross anti-party activities and mismanagement of party’s campaign funds within five days, an invitation the former parliamentarian was said to have ignored.
The NEC had warned that failure to appear before the Disciplinary Committee would attract expulsion from the party in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution 2022 (as amended).
In making real its threat, Mr Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, the Acting National Publicity Secretary of NNPP, said in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos, that the NEC had expelled Kwankwaso with immediate effect because of his refusal to honour the committee’s invitations.
“The NEC met in an emergency session on Friday, September 1 and resolved as follows:
“Following the refusal of Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to appear before the disciplinary committee which sat on Thursday, August 31 after being duly invited in writing, he is hereby expelled from NNPP with immediate effect.
“That the erstwhile presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will be reported to appropriate quarters to answer questions on financial impropriety relating to mismanagement of public funds,” the party said.
Crisis in the party took a new twist when the National Working Committee loyal to Kwankwaso announced the suspension of the NNPP founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Dr Agbo Major on August 24.
Kwankwaso was sighted within the presidential villa with President Bola Tinubu weeks to the appointment of Ministers.
Rumours said he would make list of Tinubu’s cabinet members, a prediction that failed.
