NNPP Accuses Former Leaders of Plot to Collapse Party for Obi-Kwankwaso 2027 Ticket
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has accused some of its former leaders of scheming to dismantle the party’s structure in order to pave the way for a proposed Peter Obi‑Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The allegation emerged days after the NNPP denied reports of a secret pact with the NDC to back an Obi‑Kwankwaso joint candidacy. The party had previously explained that it only submitted a placeholder presidential candidate to meet electoral deadlines, leaving space for future political realignments.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, NNPP National Chairman Major Agbo alleged that the leadership under his predecessor, Bala Yusuf, had planned to hand over the party’s apparatus to advance what he called an “O‑K arrangement” with the NDC.
“He lied. You don’t need a seer to tell you that was what they wanted to do if the status quo had remained the way it was before we came in,” Agbo said. “They would have eventually collapsed the entire structure into their principal’s arrangement. That’s the level of greed that is in them.”
Agbo added that the matter was now settled because the individuals involved are no longer in the party.
Earlier, Bala Yusuf had denied any collaboration with the Kwankwasiyya Movement or any plan to merge the NNPP’s presidential structure with an Obi‑Kwankwaso ticket. He made those remarks on the sidelines of the party’s 11th National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.
The NNPP has suffered a series of high‑profile defections recently. Rabiu Kwankwaso and former National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson moved to the NDC, while Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf and several political appointees defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). These exits have left the NNPP without its only elected governor and raised concerns about its strength heading into 2027.
Agbo stressed that a political party’s primary duty is to field candidates and win elections; failure to do so risks deregistration under Nigerian law. He explained that the submission of a placeholder presidential candidate was merely a procedural step to satisfy the electoral timetable after the party ran out of time to identify a stronger contender.
He insisted that the placeholder move was not linked to any alleged alliance with the NDC or the Obi‑Kwankwaso arrangement, describing it as a routine tactic used by parties facing tight electoral windows.
The NNPP chairman said the party has resolved never to work with Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima or their political associates under any circumstance. However, he affirmed that the NNPP remains open to broader alliances, noting that no party can operate in isolation and that cooperation has always been part of the party’s philosophy since its registration in 2002.
Agbo recalled that the NNPP had previously failed to field presidential candidates in some election cycles, citing 2007 as an example and noting that in 2003 the party presented Kalu Idika Kalu as its candidate.
The party intends to replace the placeholder candidate with a stronger aspirant once the electoral window for substitution opens, and will consider any presidential candidate whose ideas align with the NNPP’s constitution and manifesto.
Responding to the allegations, NDC Deputy National Publicity Secretary Abdulmumin Abdulsalam denied any pact between the NDC and the NNPP. He described the NNPP as a weakened platform, likening it to an old shirt that is discarded once worn out.
“The NNPP that you just mentioned is not different from an old shirt or cloth you once put on. You are bound to discard it as you get older,” Abdulsalam said, adding that Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and his supporters are no longer part of the party.
About the Author
