The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has accused some of its former leaders of plotting to dismantle the party’s structure in support of a proposed Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
NEWSNGR reports that the NDC, however, dismissed the allegation, describing it as baseless and a product of political delusion.
The latest exchange came days after the NNPP denied reports that it had entered into a secret agreement with the NDC to support an Obi-Kwankwaso joint ticket.
The party had explained that it only submitted the name of a placeholder presidential candidate to comply with electoral deadlines while leaving room for possible political realignments.
Two months ago, the immediate past NNPP National Chairman, Bala Yusuf, denied claims that he was working with the Kwankwasiyya Movement to collapse the party’s presidential structure into an arrangement involving Obi and Kwankwaso.
Yusuf spoke on the sidelines of the party’s 11th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja, insisting that the NNPP had not reached an agreement with Kwankwaso or any other political platform.
But the new NNPP National Chairman, Major Agbo, accused his predecessor of being dishonest.
In an interview with Punch, Agbo alleged that the Yusuf-led leadership had planned to hand over the party’s structure to advance what he called an “O-K arrangement” with the NDC.
Agbo said, “He lied. You don’t need a seer to tell you that was what they wanted to do if the status quo had remained the way it was before we came in.
“They would have eventually collapsed the entire structure into their principal’s arrangement. That’s the level of greed that is in them.
“But let’s not dissipate energy into discussing that because they are gone. We are done with them.”
The NNPP has suffered a series of high-profile defections in recent months.
Kwankwaso and a former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ladipo Johnson, defected to the NDC, while Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, alongside several political appointees, moved to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defections left the NNPP without its only elected governor and deepened concerns over its strength ahead of the 2027 elections.
Agbo said the immediate duty of every political party was to present candidates and win elections to avoid being deregistered.
“For us, the primary responsibility of every political party is to field candidates for election.
“The way our laws are structured, you do not only need to field candidates, but you also have to win. If you don’t win, you get cancelled as a political party,” he said.
Why NNPP Fielded Placeholder
Explaining the decision to submit a placeholder presidential candidate, Agbo said the party acted to meet the electoral timetable after it ran out of time to identify a stronger contender.
He denied that the move was connected to a proposed alliance with the NDC or the Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement.
Agbo further stated, “I have explained repeatedly that our decision to field a placeholder is not because we are rushing into an alliance or any form of understanding with anybody.
“But within the period that the window is available, you just have to do something, even if you have to return to it later to make one or two changes.
“But at least the most important thing is that something has to happen as long as the window for that thing is open.”
Agbo added that the decision was a normal political strategy adopted by parties facing tight electoral timelines.
“So we did that because it’s a normal thing that every other political party does. However, that is not to say that we intend to work with the ruling party or this idea of Obi-Kwankwaso,” he stated.
NNPP Rules Out Kwankwaso Reunion
The NNPP chairman said the party had resolved not to work with Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima or their political associates.
“This party has resolved never, under any circumstance, to have anything to do with Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima and any of his jokers. It’s not possible,” he said.
Agbo, however, said the party remained open to broader political alliances, stressing that no political organisation could operate in isolation.
“But that is not to say that we are foreclosing any chances of having any form of alliance. No party is an island. We believe in the more, the better.
“That has always been the position of the NNPP since it was registered in 2002,” he added.
He recalled that the NNPP had failed to field presidential candidates in some previous election cycles.
“I think in 2007 or so, we didn’t present any. In 2003, we presented Kalu Idika Kalu,” Agbo said.
The party said it would replace its placeholder candidate with a stronger aspirant once the electoral window for substitution opened.
It added that it would consider working with any presidential candidate whose ideas were consistent with the NNPP’s constitution and manifesto.
NDC Denies Pact With NNPP
Responding, the NDC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdulmumin Abdulsalam, rejected the allegation of collusion.
He said the Seriake Dickson-led NDC had no agreement with the NNPP and was not seeking any political arrangement with the party.
Abdulsalam said, “We have no pact with the NNPP or any party, especially in the local political landscape of Kano State.
“The NDC is a moving train and the momentum we have at the moment is enough for us.
“We don’t need any pact. If there is a need for such, it is the other party saying they are not going into any collaboration that should be begging us for a partnership to be able to survive beyond 2027. They need it to avoid going into extinction.”
The NDC spokesman also described the NNPP as a weakened political platform following the departure of Kwankwaso and his supporters.
He further stated, “The NNPP that you just mentioned is not different from an old shirt or cloth you once put on. You are bound to discard it as you get older.
“So you no longer look up to it to wear it again because it’s an old cloth.
“As far as we are concerned, His Excellency Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and his teeming supporters in Kano are no longer in the party.
“The NNPP is his former party. It is now an old cloth which he cannot go back to wear.”
