Abba Yusuf, 48 others risk 2027 candidacy over resignation dispute–NNPP

 

 

Maureen Aguta

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has ruled out backdating resignation letters for members who allegedly failed to complete the process of leaving the party, warning that falsifying records would amount to criminality.

The party said it would not succumb to pressure or blackmail from elected officials seeking to regularise their membership status after its notification to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the matter.

The NNPP also warned individuals approaching members of its leadership to facilitate the backdating of resignation letters to desist, insisting that all members must comply with the party’s constitution and applicable electoral laws.

The party’s Founder and Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday.

The development follows the party’s October 19 letter to INEC, in which it alleged that Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, 18 members of the House of Representatives, 28 members of the Kano State House of Assembly and two senators elected on its platform in 2023 had failed to fulfil the constitutional requirements for resignation from the party.

The affected politicians are reportedly now associated with other political parties and seeking to contest the 2027 general elections.

In the letter, jointly signed by the NNPP National Chairman, Dr Agbo Major, and its National Secretary, Mr Oginni Olaposi, the party informed INEC that the affected officeholders had allegedly failed to comply with the prescribed procedures for terminating their membership.

Aniebonam said some of the affected members had approached the party leadership following the letter, seeking to have their incomplete resignation processes backdated.

He, however, said the party had directed them to return to their respective wards and begin the resignation process afresh, ensuring that all necessary documentation was completed and properly recorded.

“We told those of them who approached us to go back and begin their resignation processes from their wards, then ensure that it is properly documented in accordance with the NNPP constitution,” he said.

The NNPP founder explained that the party’s constitution, alongside the applicable electoral framework, contained provisions regulating membership and resignation that could not be selectively applied to suit individual interests.

“These provisions are not intended to be observed selectively or disregarded at the convenience of individual members, particularly persons who attained elective public office through the sponsorship, structures and electoral platform of the party,” he said.

He stressed that the party was not attempting to compel former members to return but insisted that anyone wishing to leave must follow the prescribed procedures.

“We believe in the rights of people to choose where they wish to belong, but it must be properly documented as required by law,” he said.

Aniebonam added that the party would produce its records if required to do so in any post-election litigation involving the affected politicians.

He said the NNPP would also update its letter to INEC to include some politicians elected on its platform in Katsina and Jigawa states who, according to the party, had equally failed to complete their resignation processes.

The party maintained that its national secretariat had the responsibility of keeping its membership register and that resignation claims should be supported by verifiable documentation.

According to Aniebonam, some politicians had relied on claims that internal party crises prompted them to submit resignation letters at their ward levels without ensuring that the documents were properly recorded at the national secretariat.

He argued that the failure to establish an official record could create complications for politicians seeking to contest elections on the platforms of other parties.

“It is even funny to note that some elected members of the National Assembly openly resigned their membership of a political party during plenary. Some don’t even bother to notify the parties on whose platform they were elected,” he said.

The NNPP described the practice as an abuse of the mandate given to elected officials by the parties that sponsored them, arguing that failure to complete the resignation process could raise questions about their membership of multiple political parties.

It, however, said those expelled from the party were exempt from the resignation dispute, specifically mentioning Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Elder Buba Galadima.

The party also cited court victories at the Abia State High Court, Uzuakoli, the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja and the Court of Appeal in Owerri, which it said secured recognition for the party and the restoration of its original logo ahead of the 2027 elections.

The NNPP warned that politicians unable to produce valid evidence of resignation could face challenges to their eligibility to contest the next general elections on the platforms of other parties.

“Betrayers who cannot provide INEC with a valid record of resignation are deemed members of NNPP and cannot be candidates of any other political party for the purposes of contesting the general elections in 2027,” the statement added.