{"id":158844,"date":"2025-04-07T16:35:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T15:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling"},"modified":"2025-04-07T17:36:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T16:36:58","slug":"we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling","title":{"rendered":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has reiterated its claim to the party\u2019s leadership despite a court ruling that dismissed its legal challenge.<\/p>\n

The group, led by Dr Ajuji Ahmed, reaffirmed that it remains in charge of the NNPP\u2019s operations, arguing that the recent verdict did not affect the existing leadership structure.<\/p>\n

The party has been entangled in a leadership tussle since after the 2023 general elections, with two rival camps laying claim to its control, a situation that has triggered internal chaos\u2014particularly in Kano State, where the NNPP holds executive power.<\/p>\n

Last week, the Federal Capital Territory High Court struck out a suit filed by the Ajuji-led camp challenging the legitimacy of another faction headed by Chief Boniface Aniebonam and the party\u2019s National Chairman, Dr. Agbo Major.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs, including Dr Ajuji and 20 others, asked the court to stop officials from the opposing camp from convening meetings or organizing party conventions, arguing that they had been expelled.<\/p>\n

But in his ruling, Justice M.A. Hassan declined jurisdiction, stating that matters concerning internal party disagreements, including leadership and membership disputes, fall outside the scope of judicial determination.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe position of the law, as upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, is clear: courts do not adjudicate on matters that fall within the internal affairs of a political party, except in cases relating to the nomination of candidates for elections,\u201d Justice Hassan ruled.<\/p>\n

The judgment did not clarify which faction holds legitimate authority, thereby prolonging the party\u2019s leadership crisis.<\/p>\n

Aniebonam\u2019s camp claims victory<\/p>\n

Members of the Aniebonam-led faction welcomed the court\u2019s decision as validation of their leadership.<\/p>\n

Factional Secretary Oginni Olaposi described the verdict as a win for internal party democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis verdict affirms the legitimacy of the NNPP leadership under Dr. Agbo Major and reestablishes the authority of our Board of Trustees, led by Chief Boniface Aniebonam. It sends a strong message that party matters should be resolved internally,\u201d Olaposi said.<\/p>\n

Segun Fiki, legal counsel to the defendants, echoed this stance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe court has spoken clearly\u2014this matter is non-justiciable. The legitimate leadership of the NNPP has been affirmed and we now expect the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to formally recognise and engage with the party\u2019s duly elected officials,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kwankwaso camp dismisses claims of legitimacy<\/p>\n

In a swift response, the Kwankwaso camp warned against misinterpreting the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

Barrister Ladipo Johnson, spokesperson for the Ajuji-led faction, accused expelled members of spreading misinformation.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite expectedly, some of the defendants in the suit\u2014who remain expelled from the party\u2014have rushed to misinform Nigerians by twisting the judgement. Contrary to their false claims, there was no pronouncement conferring legitimacy or authority on any so-called Board of Trustees,\u201d Johnson asserted.<\/p>\n

He maintained that the expulsion of Boniface Aniebonam, Agbo Major, Olaposi Oginni, and others\u2014previously upheld by a Federal High Court on April 18, 2024\u2014remains in force.<\/p>\n

Referencing constitutional and electoral provisions, Johnson emphasized that leadership legitimacy rests with the body recognized by INEC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you check with INEC or visit its portal, you won\u2019t find the names of Boniface Aniebonam, Major Agbo, Olaposi Oginni, or their allies listed as members of the NNPP\u2019s NWC,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe judgment in question did not issue any directive to INEC or disturb the current status of the NNPP. The party\u2019s management remains firmly under the leadership of Dr Ajuji Ahmed,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has reiterated its claim to the party\u2019s leadership despite a court ruling that dismissed its legal challenge. The group, led by Dr Ajuji Ahmed, reaffirmed that it remains in charge of the NNPP\u2019s operations, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":158843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29,28,14,2660],"tags":[16777,2021,254],"class_list":["post-158844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-policy","category-to-homepage","tag-court-ruling","tag-kwankwaso","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nWe are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-07T15:35:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-07T16:36:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-07T15:35:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-07T16:36:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\"},\"wordCount\":610,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"court ruling\",\"Kwankwaso\",\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"homepage-english\",\"Policy\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\",\"name\":\"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling - Nigeria\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-07T15:35:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-07T16:36:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/\",\"name\":\"Africa Press | Nigeria | Homepage\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/author\/cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling - Nigeria","description":"The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling","og_description":"The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling","og_site_name":"Nigeria","article_published_time":"2025-04-07T15:35:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-07T16:36:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling","datePublished":"2025-04-07T15:35:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-07T16:36:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling"},"wordCount":610,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg","keywords":["court ruling","Kwankwaso","Nigeria"],"articleSection":["all news","head lines","homepage-english","Policy","to-homepage"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling","name":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling - Nigeria","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-07T15:35:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-07T16:36:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"The faction of the New Nigeria People\u2019s Party (NNPP) loyal to former presidential candidate Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2025\/04\/sm_1744031212.300487.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/policy\/we-are-in-control-of-nnpp-kwankwasos-loyalists-snub-court-ruling#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"We are in control of NNPP \u2013 Kwankwaso\u2019s loyalists snub court ruling"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/","name":"Africa Press | Nigeria | Homepage","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/author\/cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}