We have confidence in Kwankwaso – NNPP South West leaders

The ongoing crisis within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) took a new turn on Friday as key figures from the South West region expressed their unwavering support and confidence in Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate for 2023.

This resolution was reached during the regularly scheduled South West zonal executive meeting held in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State. The development comes in the wake of an earlier announcement by a faction of the party, led by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, which claimed to have suspended Senator Kwankwaso from the party. However, the party leaders from the six South West states have made a different choice by pledging their allegiance and support to the former Kano State governor.

Prominent figures from the party who attended the meeting included Prince Ademola Ayoade, the National Vice Chairman (South West); Ladipo Johnson, the National Auditor; Dr. Tosin Odeyemi, the Osun State Chairman; Pastor Peter Olagookun, Chairman of Chairmen, South West Forum; Mrs. Veronica Dikko Kila, Lagos State Chairperson; Dr. Oluyinka Gabriel Folahan, Ekiti State Caretaker Chairman; and Prince Kunle Ibrahim, Ogun State Caretaker Chairman.

In a decisive rejection of Dr. Aniebonam’s leadership, the South West leaders called upon all previously suspended party members to uphold their integrity and encouraged Dr. Aniebonam and his faction to reconsider their actions.

The party leaders also called on Nigerians, particularly those from the South-West geopolitical zone, to rally behind the NNPP in the pursuit of good governance and effective leadership.

In their official communiqué, read by Ayoade, they expressed their collective commitment to take the necessary steps to reposition the party for improved performance in the future. The statement also conveyed their resounding vote of confidence in the National Working Committee (NWC), the National Executive Committee (NEC), and the party’s leadership, Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso. They firmly rejected the actions of the group led by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and expressed their intention to work alongside the people to present the NNPP as a viable alternative for national governance.

Furthermore, Dr. Tunde Oke, the South West secretary of the party, Kilamuwaye Badmus, the Public Relations Officer, and Mr. Adeosun Sunday, the Oyo State party chairman, engaged in a private meeting with Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeyan, the South West party leader, at his residence in Ibadan.