10 months ago
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A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has insisted that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remains expelled from the party.
The faction added that Buba Galadima, as well as the entire membership of the old National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu, has also been expelled.
The position of the faction was contained in a statement on Saturday, by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Dr. Temitope Aluko.
He further called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop dealing with the affected persons, update its records and recognize the expulsion of the affected persons.
“Once again, may we use this public space to remind the INEC, through its chairman, that we have requested the urgent need to update their records of the National Executive Committee of the NNPP.
“It is instructive to indicate herein that the constitution of the NNPP is supreme and binding on all members, without prejudice to the overarching Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.
“With the nation’s Constitution being the unquestionable ground norm, every other establishment in Nigeria derives its powers of establishment and operations from the said Constitution,” Aluko said.
He added that INEC does not have the power to meddle in the internal affairs of a party as such powers are not constitutionally granted to the electoral body.
“However, INEC does not have powers to meddle in the internal administration and management of political parties.
“Otherwise, it will be equivalent to an avoidable breach of the constitutional rights of Nigerians to associate freely.
“What we try to put across herein is simple and unambiguous.
“The extant powers of the board members of the NNPP about resolution of the party’s internal matters are very clear.
“The board has powers to call to order, any member who acts contrary to its norms,” he said.
The BOT chairman submitted that the unceremonious exit of the NNPP’s former National Chairman, Prof. Rufai Alkali, Prof. Angwe Samuel, and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, among others, were pointers that all was not well with the internal administration of the party.
He accused the former NNPP NWC members of corruption, high-handedness, lack of transparency, and accountability.
“All these avoidable acts of gross misconduct led to the invitation of the concerned persons by the Board of Trustees for explanation but they refused to provide answers to the queries.
“Indeed, the board had to invoke its inherent powers by calling them all to order and decisively expelling them.
“The action of the board, having subsequently been ratified by the General Assembly of the Party, has been communicated to the Chairman of INEC, and the commission duly acknowledged the same and pledged to update its records.
“The surprising and very embarrassing thing today is that INEC is still dealing with the expelled members of the party.
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“This is aside from the fact that this matter is pending before a Federal High Court, with INEC duly served and notified,” Aluko said.
