NNPP crisis: Faction moves to probe Kwankwaso, others over N1bn ‘forms money’

• Allegations baseless — Auditor

A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) under the leadership of Major Agbo has said it would probe the party’s presidential candidate in the February 25 poll, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and some of his loyalists over an alleged misappropriation of N1 billion generated from the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms prior to the 2023 general elections.

The NNPP factional National Publicity Secretary, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, disclosed this in a statement yesterday after a meeting at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

The statement reads in part, “NNPP will conduct a thorough probe into the mismanagement of well over one billion naira raised from the sale of forms to aspirants from March 2022 to date.

“The meeting resolved to invite relevant security agencies to properly examine the accounts of the party with a view to demanding explanations from the party’s presidential candidate, the party’s chairman who left in March 2023, the sacked acting chairman, and the national secretary.

“This is to restore the confidence of party members and candidates who came forward with their hard-earned money to purchase forms. The party also queried the rationale for the location of the Situation Room in the presidential candidate’s personal residence.

“It noted that the illegal location created room for massive corruption and manipulation leading to the imposition of candidates by Buba Galadima and his co-travellers and resolved to set up a committee to launch a probe into it. It therefore called for written complaints from aggrieved candidates who were short changed after making payments for forms into the party’s account.

“The party also resolved to query the rationale behind the denial of other presidential aspirants the right to purchase form and participate in the primary election that illegally produced Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso insisting that it was against the spirit of fairness and equity which our great party preaches.”

But reacting to the allegations, the National Auditor of NNPP, Ladipo Johnson absolved Kwankwaso of any wrongdoing, saying all the allegations leveled against him were frivolous.

Johnson also wondered why the allegations were not raised until the factional leaders were expelled from the party.

“Does Kwankwaso sell forms? He is neither an official of the party nor an accounting officer. Why are you taking them seriously? It should be obvious to the whole world what these people are trying to do. They have been expelled.

“These are ex-members and renegades who are no longer in the party. I think the sooner Nigerians move to more serious issues relating to the economy and to the Niger crisis, the best for us. Since people like Agbo have formed their own NWC, they should sell nomination forms and teach the world how to manage N1 billion. I wonder how many candidates the NNPP has that we sold N1 billion worth of forms.

“Why have they not raised this allegation before, during, and immediately after the election? Why are they just saying these things after their expulsion from the party?” he queried.

Related