•Accuses Buba Galadima of corruption, illegal imposition of candidates
•Queries presentation of sole presidential candidate in Feb poll

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA—There seems to be no end to the crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, as the new leadership under Dr Agbo Gilbert Major has asked former leaders of the party to urgently account for over N1biliion raised from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms, ahead of the 2023 Presidential and general election.

Rising from a meeting at the party’s national secretariat, after a review of the situation resulting from what it described as the gross mismanagement of the party in the past one year in Abuja yesterday, the NNPP accused Buba Galadima of corruption and illegal imposition of candidate.

It also queried the presentation of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the sole presidential candidate of the party in 2023.

In a statement issued after the meeting by the acting National Publicity Secretary, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, the NNPP said: “The new leadership of New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, under Dr Agbo Gilbert Major today (yesterday) had its maiden meeting at the Abuja national secretariat and after a review of the situation resulting from the gross mismanagement of the party in the past one year came out with the following resolutions:
“ To conduct a thorough probe into the mismanagement of well over one billion naira (N1bn) raised from the sale of forms to aspirants between March 2022 and today (yesterday).

‘’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 confidence of party members/candidates who came forward with their hard earned money to purchase forms.

“ The party queried the rationale for location of the Situation Room to the presidential candidate’s personal residence. It noted that the illegal location created room for massive corruption and manipulation, leading to 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 shortchanged after making payments for forms into the party’s account.

“The party 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.

“The party confirmed its withdrawal from the Memorandum of Understanding signed by it with the Kwankwasiya Movement and TNM, insisting that the principles of these two groups are targeted at massaging the ego of its sole owner and so not in line with the party’s policies of openness and inclusivity.

“The party called on its numerous members and supporters to remain calm in the face of this brazen assault of the Kwankwasiyya movement whose members were erroneously made to believe the party is sold to them and called on all aggrieved and displaced members who left for whatever reason to return home.

“The party resolved to overhaul its structures across all levels nationwide in the coming days and weeks.”