By The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has fired back at former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his claim that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is behind the party’s ongoing crisis.
In a statement on Wednesday, NNPP’s factional national secretary, Oginni Olaposi, dismissed El-Rufai’s remarks as baseless. He argued that the former governor lacks a clear understanding of the internal issues that led to divisions within the party.
El-Rufai’s claim originated from a viral video where he was seen addressing leaders of his new party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP). In the clip, he accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government of deliberately stirring crises within opposition parties, including the NNPP. He pointed specifically to the expulsion of the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, calling it a “contrived” move to destabilize the party.
However, Olaposi warned El-Rufai to retract his statement or face legal action. He also demanded that the former governor issue an unreserved apology to the party’s national leadership and its founder, Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam, within 48 hours.
The NNPP further questioned whether the federal government played any role in Kwankwaso’s expulsion. “Was it the federal government that asked Kwankwaso to beg for NNPP’s platform in 2022? Was it the federal government that asked him to insult the party’s founder or take legal action against its leadership?” the statement read.
The party concluded by challenging El-Rufai to ask Kwankwaso these questions before making further accusations. “We hereby challenge Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to call his friend and get the real answers,” Olaposi stated.
