Party Crisis: NNPP Faction Threatens El-Rufai With Legal Action Over Allegations

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has sharply criticised former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, demanding that he retract his statements alleging that the President Bola Tinubu-led government is behind the ongoing crisis within the party.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the factional national secretary of the NNPP, Oginni Olaposi, dismissed El-Rufai’s claims as unfounded, stressing that the former governor lacked an understanding of the internal issues that led to the party’s division.

The controversy erupted from a viral video in which El-Rufai, while speaking to leaders of his new party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government of deliberately inciting crises in opposition parties, including the NNPP. He specifically referred to the expulsion of NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as a “contrived” move intended to destabilize the party.

In response, the NNPP faction called on El-Rufai, who recently resigned from the APC and joined the SDP, to retract his remarks or face legal consequences.

Olaposi demanded that El-Rufai issue a public apology to the party’s national leadership and its founder, Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam, within 48 hours. He further challenged El-Rufai to question Kwankwaso about the root causes of the crisis that led to his expulsion and the party’s internal struggles.

“To clarify matters and to educate Mallam Nasir El-Rufai on the origins of the crisis that led to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s expulsion and the suspension of Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State,” the statement read, adding that El-Rufai should ask Kwankwaso to answer several questions before making allegations about federal government interference.

The party raised the following key issues surrounding Kwankwaso’s expulsion:

• Was it the federal government that asked Kwankwaso to beg Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam for the NNPP platform in February 2022?
• Was it the federal government that instructed Kwankwaso to insult the NNPP founder?
• Was it the federal government that encouraged Kwankwaso to file a lawsuit against the NNPP leadership over his expulsion?
• Was it the federal government that prevented Kwankwaso and Governor Abba Yusuf from appearing before the party’s disciplinary committee to resolve the crisis?

The NNPP faction challenged El-Rufai to reach out to Kwankwaso for answers before making further accusations about the federal government’s involvement.

“We hereby challenge Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to call his friend and co-traveller on this issue to answer these questions,” Olaposi said.

The NNPP faction then issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding that El-Rufai publicly apologise for his “reckless statement” or face legal action for defamation.

“Consequently, we are calling on Mallam El-Rufai to publicly tender an unreserved apology to the founder of the NNPP, Dr. Aniebonam, and the party leadership for his unfortunate allegation of federal government sponsorship. If he fails to do so within 48 hours, we will proceed with legal action,” the statement concluded.

Following the 2023 general elections, the NNPP has been embroiled in an internal leadership crisis, splitting into two factions. In September 2023, a faction led by Agbo Major suspended and later expelled Kwankwaso over allegations of anti-party activities and financial mismanagement. However, a separate faction, loyal to Kwankwaso, later reversed the expulsion.