Expressing his disappointment, the founder of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Boniface Aniebonam, revealed that the attempt made by Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement to take control of the party’s structure amounts to a betrayal of trust.
Speaking at a press briefing held in Lagos on Friday, Aniebonam disclosed that he had provided Kwankwaso with the party’s platform as a straightforward means to realize his political aspiration of becoming Nigeria’s president.
Aniebonam mentioned that he had solely initiated the registration and development of the NNPP since 2002 until 2022 when Kwankwaso and his associates approached him seeking to represent the party in the upcoming 2023 presidential elections.
“Buba Galadima led the delegation which included Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi and Prof. Sam Angai to my residence in Anambra to appeal for Kwankwaso’s acceptance into the NNPP,” he narrated.
After thorough discussions, Aniebonam reached out to Kwankwaso and, upon assessing his vision for Nigeria, offered him the NNPP’s platform as its sole candidate,” he added.
Aniebonam highlighted that he established NNPP following his creation of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), marking NAGAFF as the parent organization of NNPP.
Recalling that Kwankwaso and others had been ousted from the party due to activities against the party’s interests, Aniebonam, as a lifelong member of the board with inherent authority, would consider pardoning him only if he rectified his actions.
The NNPP founder stated that by this gesture, Kwankwaso would no longer retain the exclusive candidacy of the NNPP even if pardoned.