A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), led by self-acclaimed founder, Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Agbo Major, has promised to “deal” with the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, blaming him for the crisis that has rocked the party.
The faction therefore dismissed its suspension saying it was null and void.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the NNPP, led by Abba Alli, had earlier on Thursday announced the suspension of Major and a founding member of the party, Boniface Aniebonam.
The NWC, which said the suspension was with immediate effect, pending the outcome of investigations by the party’s Disciplinary Committee, accused Major and Aniebonam of anti-party activities.
Aniebonam was also accused of trying to factionalise the party.
But speaking for the faction, Major dismissed the suspension, describing members of the NWC as jokers, in a telephone interview with THE WHISTLER hours after the suspension was handed down.
THE WHISTLER had contacted the publicity secretary to get a reaction on his suspension by the NWC without success.
Responding hours later, Major blamed the crisis in the NNPP on Kwankwaso, whom he said had been trying to hijack the party.
“He (Kwankwaso) is the one stage managing all these things because he is planning to hijack the party. But it is not a problem, we will deal with him,” Major told THE WHISTLER.
Stressing that the suspension was of no effect, he pointed out that Aniebonam is the Founder of the NNPP, and equally the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT).
“They (NWC members) are a bunch of jokers. They are suspending themselves. It is a Nollywood drama they are acting. Nobody will take them seriously.
“The Founder of a party and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, you wake up and say you are suspending him for nothing.
“A Publicity Secretary of a party, you say you have suspended him. You say for anti-party activities. Which anti-party activities?
“These people are joking. Nobody would take them seriously.”
Asked what he would do next, Major said the suspension couldn’t stand.
“I am a law-abiding Nigerian but I can tell you there is nothing like suspension. They have made their pronouncement but it is the most useless pronouncement anybody can make.
“They are just on their own.
“I will be peaceful but I can assure you that whatever they are talking about there, it means nothing to me. Even in the face of the law, it makes no sense so they are wasting their time.”