By Friday Temitope Eugenia
National News
A fresh political dispute has erupted between the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over claims that some former NNPP leaders attempted to collapse the party’s structure in support of a Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.
The NNPP accused its former leadership of plotting to align the party with the NDC to actualise what it described as the “Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement.”
The allegation followed the party’s recent clarification that its decision to field a placeholder presidential candidate was only to meet the Independent National Electoral Commission’s nomination deadline and not an indication of any alliance with another political party.
Speaking on the development, NNPP National Chairman, Major Agbo, alleged that the immediate past leadership under former chairman Bala Yusuf had intended to merge the party’s structure into Kwankwaso’s political agenda before the current executives took over.
He maintained that the party would never enter into any political arrangement involving Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima or their associates, although he stressed that the NNPP remained open to future alliances with parties or candidates whose vision aligns with its manifesto.
Agbo explained that the placeholder candidacy was a procedural step necessitated by electoral timelines, adding that the party would replace the nominee with a stronger candidate once the substitution window opens.
He also recalled that the NNPP had, in previous election cycles, either fielded limited candidates or none at all, insisting the party’s current approach was not unusual.
The controversy comes amid significant political changes within the NNPP. Over the past six months, the party has lost former presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso and former National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson to the NDC.
It also lost Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and several political appointees to the ruling All Progressives Congress, raising questions about the party’s future strength ahead of the 2027 elections.
Responding to the allegations, the NDC dismissed the claims as baseless. Deputy National Publicity Secretary Abdulmumin Abdulsalam said the party had no agreement with the NNPP and was not seeking any political alliance with it.
According to him, the NDC has gathered sufficient momentum on its own and has no reason to pursue a partnership with the NNPP.
Abdulsalam argued that the NNPP should instead be seeking political collaboration to remain relevant beyond the 2027 elections.
He further stated that Kwankwaso and his supporters had completely moved on from the NNPP, describing the party as a chapter that had been closed, while insisting the NDC remained focused on consolidating its growing political support across the country.
