Following the suspension of Rabiu Kwankwaso, a founding father of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has waved off Rabiu Kwankwaso’s suspension from the party, describing it as a “Nollywood and Hollywood joke”.
He also insisted that the party is still intact.
A group within the party on Tuesday suspended Kwankwaso, the party’s flag bearer for the February 25, 2023, presidential poll, citing “material evidence” in public affirming the former Kano state governor was involved in “anti-party activities in various meetings”.
The group also claimed that Kwankwaso was also in political discussions with President Bola Tinubu, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC); his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar; and Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi. without authorisation from the party.
But Galadima has laughed off the accusations.
“When I saw it on social media, I thought it was like a Nollywood or Hollywood joke,” Galadima said in reference to Kwankwaso’s suspension on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday night.
He claimed that the leaders of the said group had been expelled from the NNPP.
“Now let me make a small correction, those that were expelled were Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam and Gabriel Agbor Major,” he maintained.
“All of them who were expelled were called to a disciplinary committee. They were drilled and they accepted their sins and it was on the basis of their acceptance that they were recommended to the Nation Working Committee for expulsion.”
Galadima also accused political adversaries of masterminding the internal wranglings within the party but insisted that the NNPP remains strong.
“A lot of people are interested in this party in the sense that the other parties felt that they could only survive if they destroy this party.
“But unknown to them we are as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar,” he said.
Speaking on the accusations of anti-party activities against the former Kano governor, the NNPP chieftain dismissed the claims, saying: “As a politician, we can meet with anybody.
“He took permission from us,” the party chieftain argued. “Whatever the case, Kwankwaso had permission from the party to meet with President Tinubu and talk to any other political group. So, he didn’t do this on his own.”