In a significant political shift, a Kano NNPP lawmaker has left Kwankwaso’s faction and pledged allegiance to the governor. Explore what this move means for the party dynamics in Kano State.
Kabiru Rurum, a representative for the Rano/Kibiya/Bunkure Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has announced that he is not aligned with Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s faction within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Instead, he endorses the group headed by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, who founded the party.
Rurum, a former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, declared on Sunday that he acknowledges the NNPP led by Dr. Aniebonam—represented by a fruit logo—as the legitimate faction and rejects Kwankwaso’s faction symbolized by a book logo as illegitimate.
He urged Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to make independent decisions and not adhere to instructions from Kwankwaso.
Rurum declared, “I remain loyal to Governor Yusuf,” reassuring the people of Kano and his constituents that the governor is well-equipped to make sound decisions for the state.
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When asked about the prospect of a defection, Rurum asserted that he remains a dedicated member of the NNPP under Aniebonam’s leadership and criticized Kwankwaso for purportedly commandeering the party to further his own interests.
“Dr. Boniface offered Kwankwaso a platform, and taking the party from him while treating him unfairly is unjust,” he stated.
After this announcement, another representative from Dala Federal Constituency also exited the Kwankwasiyya movement and urged his supporters to abandon the red cap that symbolizes Kwankwasiyya’s ideology.
This development comes in the wake of a recent decision by Justice C.U. Okoroafor at the Uzuakoli Division of the High Court in Abia State.
On November 1, 2024, the court mandated that control of the NNPP be transferred to its Board of Trustees, led by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, who founded the party. This decision followed a lawsuit filed by three members from Abia concerning the persistent leadership crisis within the organization.
