Founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has once again voiced his frustration over what he describes as a continued “betrayal” by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Elder Buba Galadima.
Aniebonam, who also chairs the party’s Board of Trustees, said the duo had been “struggling over what doesn’t belong to them,” insisting they were attempting to take over a party they did not build. His comments followed renewed internal tensions that resurfaced after a recent move by the Kwankwaso-led faction.
In a letter dated Oct. 31 and submitted to INEC, the Kwankwaso group—represented by Dr. Ahmed Ajuji and Mr. Dipo Olayoku—announced plans to conduct fresh nationwide congresses. The schedule begins with ward, local government, and state congresses from Nov. 24, leading to a national convention slated for January 2026.
Reacting, Aniebonam questioned why Kwankwaso and Galadima remained determined “to hijack a party that does not belong to them.”
He recalled how Kwankwaso emerged as the NNPP’s 2023 presidential candidate, saying “It is regrettable to note that Kwankwaso, whom I gave the NNPP presidential ticket for free in 2023, can descend to the level of lacking in good conscience in the name of politics.”
According to him, Kwankwaso sought the party’s platform through a delegation consisting of Galadima, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, and Prof. Sam Angwe. “They were seeking for assistance to enable him contest the presidential election on NNPP platform in 2023,” Aniebonam said. He noted that the party granted this request without demanding any financial commitment.
He added that members of the Kwankwasiya Movement went on to contest various elective positions—state assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate—also free of charge, all under an MoU between both sides that expired after the 2023 elections.
Aniebonam lamented that “Kwankwaso planned a betrayal of trust against my good nature and the party,” alleging that the former governor moved secretly to alter the party’s logo, colours, and constitution for personal gain.
The NNPP founder also criticized claims by the Kwankwaso faction that he had been expelled from the very party he founded in 2001. Describing the move as “impunity, arrogance, disrespectfulness and betrayal of trust,” he stressed that the NNPP constitution protects the founder’s position as a life member of the board.
Given Kwankwaso’s long public career and influence—including his stints as minister, lawmaker, governor, and political mentor to Kano governor Abba Yusuf—Aniebonam said he expected higher standards of conduct. Instead, he accused him of using “huge financial resources” to impose control over the party.
The lingering power tussle, he said, has triggered multiple lawsuits and a wave of defections. Despite this, Aniebonam expressed confidence that the NNPP would rebound ahead of the 2027 elections, declaring that the party would “come out stronger… despite the antics of Kwankwaso and his group.”
