A founding member of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Buba Galadima, has described the reported suspension of the party’s presidential candidate in the February 25 presidential election, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, as ‘Nollywood jokes’.
The party’s BoT on Tuesday, suspended Kwankwaso alongside the National Working Committee members for alleged anti-party activities.
Reacting late Tuesday, while speaking on a television programme, Galadima said the party’s National Executive Committee in its meeting in Abuja only expelled the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Major Gabriel Agbo, and those involved in the flagbearer’s sanction.
Galadima explained that the parallel meeting of some members of the party in Lagos where Kwankwaso was purportedly suspended was illegal saying they didn’t seek the permission of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which was supposed to be present in such a meeting.
In his words, “All of them that were expelled were called to face a disciplinary committee and they were drilled and accepted their sins. It is on this basis that they were recommended to the National Working Committee for expulsion
” They knew that 20 days ago today (Tuesday), we wrote to INEC that we are holding a National Executive Committee meeting of the NNPP because you have to invite them. They knew we were meeting today.
“So they knew the NEC would expel them and that is why they staged a counter-coup with seven of them congregated in Lagos to say that they had suspended Kwankwaso”
On allegations that Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities by hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Galadima said the former Kano governor got the approval of the party to meet with the President.
“When he (Kwankwaso) was to meet with President Tinubu in France, he brought the National Caucus of the party and told them, ‘Look, the President wants to see me, what is your position?’
‘”Everybody in that meeting, about 13 of us said, why don’t you go and hear Mr. President out? So they met and agreed to work together for the uplift of the country,” he said.
