The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to update its records on the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) membership.
The party in a statement on Saturday by its Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Dr Temitope Aluko, also urged the media to respect the NNPP constitution by recognising only officers duly elected in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Aluko said that NNPP chieftains like Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso and the entire membership of the old National Working Committee (NWC) led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu had since been expelled and INEC appropriately and duly informed in that regard.
He noted that INEC had no powers to meddle in the internal affairs of a political party.
“Once again, may we use this public space to remind the INEC, through its Chairman, that we have requested for the urgent need to update their records of the National Executive Committee of the NNPP.
“It is instructive to indicate herein that the constitution of the NNPP is supreme and binding on all members, without prejudice to the overarching Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.
“With the nation’s Constitution being the unquestionable groundnorm, every other establishment in Nigeria derives its powers of establishment and operations from the said Constitution,” Aluko said.
According to him, the mandate and powers of INEC to register, control and regulate political parties are constitutionally provided and the party is aware of this.
“However, INEC does not have powers to meddle in the internal administration and management of political parties.
“Otherwise, it will be tantamount to avoidable breach of the constitutional rights of Nigerians to freely associate.
“What we try to put across herein is simple and unambiguous.
“The extant powers of the board members of the NNPP in relation to resolution of the party’s internal matters are very clear.
“The board has powers to call to order, any member who acts contrary to the its norms,” he said.
The BOT chairman said that NNPP chieftains like Kwankwaso, Elder Buba Galadima and the sacked and defunct National Working Committee, NWC, led by kawu had been in gross abuse of the constitutional provisions of the new NNPP with impunity.
According to him, the unceremonious exit of its former National Chairman, Prof. Rufai Alkali, Prof. Angwe Samuel and Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi among others were pointers that all was not well with the internal administration of the party.
He decried issues bothering on corruption, high handedness, lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the defunct NNPP National Working Committee (NWC) members.
“All these avoidable acts of gross misconduct led to the invitation of the concerned persons by the Board of Trustees for explanation but they refused to provide answers to the queries.
“Indeed, the board had to invoke its inherent powers by calling them all to order and decisively expelling them.
“The action of the board, having subsequently been ratified by the General Assembly of the Party, has been communicated to the Chairman of INEC, and the commission duly acknowledged same and pledged to update its records.
“The surprising and very embarrassing thing today is that INEC is still dealing with the expelled members of the party.
“This is aside the fact that this matter is pending before a Federal High Court, with INEC duly served and notified,” Aluko said.
He said that while the party acknowledged the powers of INEC to regulate and control political parties, the commission should be seen to act as a neutral body to all political parties and try to respect the internal administration of each of the parties.
According to him, under these circumstances, it shall be more responsible on the part of INEC as a regulator, having received a notification, to invite both parties with a view to ascertaining facts and be in a better position to make an informed decision.
” The chairman of INEC, and the commission itself, shall take a cue from the judiciary at the moment and strive to add value to the ethos of democracy, rule of law and conflict resolution,” he said.
On the media, Aluko said that the practitioners should know that there was no faction in the NNPP.
He added: “Rather, Kwankwaso and the entire membership of the old NWC led by Kawu have since been expelled and INEC appropriately and duly informed in that regard.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the new principal officers of the NNPP are Dr Gilbert Agbo Major as the National Chairman, Comrade Ogini Samuel as the Secretary General and Dr TKO Aluko as the Chairman, Board of Trustees.
“Dr Aniebonam Boniface is the Founder and Spiritual Leader of the NNPP and Gov. Abbah Yusuf of Kano State is the Leader of the Party.”
He said that the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) should be allowed to operate without any strings from the INEC.
“By so doing, we shall be adding value to the cause of genuine democracy in Nigeria,” he said.
