Victory songs filled the air in Lagos as members of the NNPP stormed their founder’s office, celebrating a major court ruling that has deepened the party’s leadership crisis.
Supporters gathered at the Apapa office of Boniface Aniebonam, dancing and thanking God after an Abuja High Court ordered INEC to recognise the Agbo Major-led National Working Committee—effectively sidelining the faction linked to Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Bello Kawu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, has added another twist to the long-running leadership tussle within the NNPP. The party has been embroiled in legal battles over control and ownership, with both sides laying claim to its structure.
But the Kwankwaso-backed Kwankwasiya Movement isn’t backing down. In a swift reaction, its spokesperson, Ladipo Johnson, slammed the judgment as “illegal” and “logically flawed,” vowing to challenge it on appeal.
Responding on Wednesday, Aniebonam pushed back strongly, criticising the attacks on the judiciary and insisting the legal route for appeal is already tied to an ongoing case in Owerri. According to him, filing another appeal elsewhere could amount to abuse of court process.
He also revisited the roots of the crisis, noting that he founded the NNPP in 2001, while Kwankwaso and his allies only joined in 2022 under a Memorandum of Understanding that has since lapsed. Aniebonam accused them of attempting to hijack the party despite their alleged expulsion.
The development, he added, sheds light on recent political moves in Kano, including Governor Abba Yusuf’s defection to the APC—suggesting the internal crisis may have played a key role.
With celebrations on one side and legal threats on the other, the NNPP’s leadership battle is far from over.
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