Kano SSG, Bichi also suspended as cracks widen in the party
Tension is rising within the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) as internal conflicts over leadership continue to escalate. A faction of the party convened in Minna, Niger State, to announce the suspension of former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the national leader of the party, signalling a deepening divide within the NNPP, with prominent members of the party openly challenging Kwankwaso’s authority.
Similarly, the Kano chapter also yesterday, Monday October 14, announced the suspension of the Secretary to the State Government Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, and the Commissioner for Transport, Muhammad Diggol from the party.
Both officials and their supporters are reportedly at the center of a crisis that erupted in the party over the selection candidates for the the local government elections slated for later in the month.
The suspension of the duo was announced by the state party Chairman, Hashimu Sulaiman Dungurawa, on Monday evening.
According to Dungurawa, the suspension came after the party received multiple complaints from the ward and local government leadership of the party.
Dungurawa accussd both of them of disrespecting the party and its leadership while saying that “The party cannot tolerate actions that undermine its leadership and structure” .
“After receiving formal complaint letters from their wards, and upon confirmation of the allegations by the local leadership, we had no other option but to take this decisive step,” Dungurawa stated.
During the Minna gathering, NNPP factional National Chairman Dr. Gilbert Agbo, declared that the recent decision by the National Working Committee (NWC) in Lagos to suspend Kwankwaso marks the end of his leadership role within the party, adding that Kwankwaso’s influence, along with that of his loyal Kwankwasiya group, is seen as a direct threat to the NNPP’s future.
“Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasiya group represent a serious threat to the party’s progress and survival,” Agbo stated, adding that their continued dominance could hinder the NNPP’s ability to move forward. To underscore their determination to sever ties with Kwankwaso, Agbo presided over a symbolic act of defiance — the burning of Kwankwasiya’s iconic red caps, which have become a hallmark of Kwankwaso’s political movement. This act was a clear signal that the faction intends to forge a new path without the former governor’s influence.
The faction led by Agbo also raised concerns about Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, who has been summoned to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee. According to Agbo, Governor Yusuf is being called to account for allegedly violating key principles of the NNPP, and the faction believes that his actions have undermined the party’s core values.
In response to the growing division, Mallam Danladi Umar Abdulhamid, the leader of the Kwankwasiya Movement in Niger State, dismissed the actions of Agbo’s faction, arguing that Kwankwaso remains the legitimate leader of the NNPP. Abdulhamid insisted that Dr. Ahmed Ajuji is the rightful leader of the party and that Kwankwaso’s suspension is nothing more than a political maneuver aimed at advancing Agbo’s personal agenda.
“This rebellion against Kwankwaso only serves Dr. Agbo’s interests, not those of the people,” Abdulhamid remarked, emphasizing that Kwankwaso’s leadership remains intact despite the actions of the opposing faction.
Meanwhile, the Kwankwaso-led faction has seen an influx of new supporters as over 1,000 former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State defected to the NNPP. These defectors were welcomed with open arms by the party’s state chairman, Dr. Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa, during a campaign event in Tofa and Ghari Local Government Areas. The event was part of the party’s preparation for the upcoming local government elections.
Both NNPP chairmanship candidates, Yakubu Ibrahim Adis of Tofa and Hashimu Mai Sabulu of Ghari, expressed confidence in the party’s growing popularity and influence in the region. They highlighted the defections as a sign of the NNPP’s increasing strength, despite the internal strife.
As the NNPP navigates this turbulent period, the battle for control between the Kwankwaso and Agbo factions continues to unfold, with both sides vying for the future of the party.
Bichi and Diggol’s suspension is, however, contradicted by the statement issued by the spokesman of the Kano State Governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa who announced a truce in the internal conflict rocking the party
Bature stated that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had brokered peace between stakeholders in New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and top echelons of Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano.
“The successful reconciliation held behind a close door at the Governor’s office Monday evening has put to rest the lingering crisis rocking the internal structure of the party” he said
He disclosed that key figures involved in the reconciliation include the Secretary to State Government, SSG, Dr. Baffa Bichi, and Bichi local government Chairmanship aspirant, Hon. Hamza Sule Maifata.
“At the close door meeting, the SSG, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi accepted the intervention of Governor Yusuf and promised to resolve his difference with the factional group in his Bichi constituency and groups claiming to be his critics”
“Dr. Bichi subsequently dissociated himself from the deviance group (Abba Tsaya da Kafar ka) calling for division between the Governor and the party’s national leader Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
According to Bichi, ” I have since submitted myself and all my activities to Governor Abba Yusuf as our leader and accepted all that he wanted I am ready to abide with. On the factional group they are talking about, I have nothing to do with them.
On the issue of reconciliation, he said, “the Governor has already intervened and everything is over. We are all his loyalists and we are ready to abide by whatever he wants.
On his part, Hon Hamza Sule Maifata, Chairmanship candidate of the NNPP in Bichi local government also expressed commitment to embrace peace and settle discord with the SSG.
“We have sat today with the Governor, SSG and other stakeholders and we have voiced our grievances which we later came to understand that it was just being peddled by rumour mongers and enemies of the party.
“We have now forgiven each other and embrace peace. We would now work together like we used to and this reconciliation brokered by the Governor has put it out permanently
The meeting, according to the spokesman was held at the instance of the Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Jibrin Ismail Falgore, along side the leadership of the House, who had prevailed on the intervention of the Governor to quench the crisis from escalation.
