Alhaji Abass Onilewura, a leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), said that Rabiu Kwankwaso, a past presidential candidate for the same party, was to blame for Kano governor Yusuf Abba’s loss at the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal fired Abba on Wednesday and said that Nasir Gawuna, who ran for the APC, won the March 18 governorship election.
The three-person group, under the direction of Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, reclaimed Abba’s Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In a statement made public on Thursday, Onilewura claimed that Kwankwaso had sold out the NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress in exchange for a ministerial position in Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said that the former NNPP leader’s claimed involvement in activities against the party is a big reason why the Kano Tribunal’s decision is a big loss for the party.
“This loss is a big one for us at NNPP, and it only happened because Kwankwaso was selfish and sold the party to the highest bidder,” the statement said. While we are still waiting for the Certified True Copy of the Tribunal’s decision, it is important for the world to know that this would not have happened if Kwankwaso had followed the rules and given the ticket to the most qualified candidate.
“Our investigation also showed that Kwankwaso’s continued work with APC gave them a chance to find holes that were later used against the Kano governor to help the opposition win.”
“It’s too bad that some of us worked hard to get the party to where it is now, only for Kwankwaso to come along and make all our work pointless. We’re glad that person has been kicked out of this great party.
“We also want to use this opportunity to tell him to stay away from the NNPP. We don’t want anyone to betray our party, and we would do anything to protect it from people who want to take it over for their own benefit.
“I will also tell our members all over the country to stay calm because the party has a new head, and we will do everything we can to bring back our party’s glory. NNPP will come out to be a strong voice and opposition that stands for justice, fairness, and good government.