The Kano State High Court has made a ruling, setting aside the suspension of Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), from the party.
The court's decision was delivered by Justice Usman Na’aana on Tuesday, September 05, 2023.
Pulse earlier reported that the National Executive Committee of the NNPP expelled Kwankwaso, following his alleged refusal to appear before the party's disciplinary committee.
However, the court's ruling grants an interim injunction that effectively restrains Boniface Aniebonam, Agbo Major, and 16 other respondents from portraying themselves as national officers or leaders of the NNPP. This injunction will remain in effect until the hearing and determination of the motion of notice.
Additionally, Justice Na’aana declared null and void "the purported suspension of Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as a member of the applicant (NNPP)."
Kwankwaso's offence according to the NNPP
This development comes after Kwankwaso faced a six-month suspension on August 29, 2023, by a faction led by NNPP chieftains Aniebonam and Major within the party.
The suspension was imposed on the grounds of Kwankwaso's alleged involvement in "anti-party activities in various meetings" and political discussions with prominent figures, including President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
The Aniebonam and Major group, which holds sway over the NNPP Board of Trustees, claimed to possess "material evidence" supporting these allegations against Kwankwaso.
Furthermore, they cited his "failure to appear before the Disciplinary Committee" as a reason for his expulsion from the party. Additionally, the group accused Kwankwaso of engaging in "financial impropriety related to the mismanagement of public funds."