 faction led by Ajuji Ahmed, the party’s national chairman, has clarified that the court did not recognize the faction led by Agbo Major, aligned with Boniface Aniebonam, as legitimate.){kind=link}
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) faction led by Ajuji Ahmed, the party’s national chairman, has clarified that the court did not recognize the faction led by Agbo Major, aligned with Boniface Aniebonam, as legitimate.
Ahmed’s faction, which supports Rabiu Kwankwaso, the NNPP’s presidential candidate in 2023, responded after an Abuja High Court dismissed a lawsuit challenging the leadership legitimacy of Major’s faction.
The case, filed by Ahmed and 20 others, sought to annul the recent convention that saw Major elected as factional chairman and the appointment of other national working committee (NWC) members.
The plaintiffs also asked the court to prevent Major’s group from convening meetings, organizing congresses, or presiding over the party’s national convention, arguing that the group had been expelled for “anti-party activities.”
In a ruling, Judge M.A. Hassan stated that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the case, emphasizing that leadership disputes within a political party are outside the court’s purview unless they concern candidate nominations.
“The position of the law, as upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, is clear: Courts do not adjudicate on matters falling within the internal affairs of a political party, except in cases relating to the nomination of candidates for elections,” the judge stated.
Segun Fiki, the lawyer for Ahmed’s faction, told journalists that the ruling upheld Major and Aniebonam’s leadership of the party.
However, Ladipo Johnson, publicity secretary of the Ahmed-led faction, issued a statement rejecting the interpretation that Major’s group had been reinstated. Johnson clarified that the court had not made any determination on the merits of the case and had only stated that it lacked jurisdiction.
“The court did not pronounce legitimacy or authority on any so-called board of trustees,” Johnson stated. “The court declined jurisdiction, affirming that it is an internal party matter.”
He also emphasized that the expulsion of Boniface Aniebonam and his supporters was unaffected by the ruling, referencing a previous Federal High Court judgment that upheld their expulsion.
Johnson further noted that the matter of NWC membership is governed by constitutional and statutory provisions, asserting that Ahmed’s faction is the officially recognized leadership by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He pointed out that INEC’s records do not list Aniebonam, Major, or their supporters as NWC members, adding that INEC had denied any knowledge of their activities in court filings.
“Inquiry at INEC or on their portal will show no records of Aniebonam, Major, Oginni, or their group as NWC members,” Johnson concluded.