By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) took another dimension on Friday when chieftains of the party from the South West zone passed a vote of confidence in Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
The stalwarts of the party took the decision during a statutory South West zonal executive meeting held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Recall that a faction of the party led by Dr Boniface Aniebonam had earlier announced that it had suspended the former governor of Kano State from the party. But the chieftains of the party from the six states in the South West region have decided otherwise, by pledging their support and loyalty to the former governor of Kano State.
Some of the leaders of the party who were present at the meeting included the National Vice Chairman (South West), Prince Ademola Ayoade; National Auditor, Ladipo Johnson; and the Osun State Chairman, Dr Tosin Odeyemi.
Others are the Chairman of Chairmen, South West Forum, Pastor Peter Olagookun; Lagos State chairperson, Mrs Veronica Dikko Kila; Ekiti State caretaker chairman, Dr Oluyinka Gabriel Folahan; and Ogun State caretaker chairman, Prince Kunle Ibrahim.
The South West leaders, while rejecting the leadership of Aniebonam outright, called on all suspended former members of the party to toe the line of honour.
They also called on Aniebonam and his group to retrace their steps.
The party leaders called on all Nigerians, especially those from the South-West geopolitical zone, to support NNPP for good governance and quality leadership.
In the communiqué read by Ayoade, they agreed to do all that is necessary to reposition the party for better performance in the future.
According to them: “We hereby agree and support the various activities of the National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC), after assessing and appraising the various activities of our party during the last general elections, and agree to do everything necessary to reposition the party for better performance in the future.
“Also the entire committee passed a vote of confidence on the NWC, the National Executive Committee (NEC), and the leadership of the party, Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, and totally rejected the charade by a group of former members of the NNPP led by Dr Boniface Aniebonam. We will work with the people to present the NNPP as an alternative party for the governance of the country.”
