.Party apologises to Tinubu, APC over ex-Govs statement
.Kwankwaso flays defection rumours, calls purported statement fake
By John Paul
Recent remarks credited to presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 general elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have put him and his party’s leadership on a collision course.
While the NNPP accused Kwankwaso of making “irresponsible” remarks, targeting the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kwankwaso denied such claims, saying he did not author the said statement.
In the statement that Kwankwaso has now disowned, he was alleged to have said that President Bola Tinubu personally reached out to him multiple times, offering assurances and favourable conditions to rejoin the ruling All Progressives Congress.
He also reportedly declined Tinubu’s overtures, citing deep-rooted principles and concerns about the APC’s current governance.
Senator Kwankwaso was said to have claimed that President Tinubu made several direct calls and used mutual contacts to encourage his return to the APC, a party Kwankwaso once helped build.
According to the statement, Tinubu promised that all terms and conditions for his return would be met “like pupils in your hands.”
Despite the promises, Kwankwaso was said to have insisted that he would rather quit politics than rejoin APC, which he believes has strayed from justice and principle.
In the purported statement, Kwankwaso allegedly attacked the APC governments of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the incumbent, President Tinubu. He allegedly highlighted the party’s failure to tackle Nigeria’s pressing issues, including insecurity, hunger, youth unemployment, economic decline, and corruption, saying that
APC’s ideology is driven by “personal interest, betrayal of the masses, and governance by propaganda.”
But in a counter statement yesterday, Kwankwaso dismissed the claims made in the earlier statement as baseless fabrications aimed at misleading the public and stirring political confusion.
In the statement he shared on his official X handle, @KwankwasoRM, the former Kano State governor refuted reports alleging he had met President Bola Tinubu multiple times and was considering a return to the APC.
“My attention has been drawn to a statement purportedly stating my position on the recurring political realignments. I wish to categorically state that such statements are false, unfounded, and products of political mischief,” Kwankwaso stated.
He reiterated that he has chosen to remain silent on current political happenings and will continue to do so for now. He also urged the public to rely only on information released through his verified channels and remain vigilant against misinformation.
But the NNPP leadership, in a statement yesterday, roundly tackled Kwankwaso, while tendering what it described as a formal apology to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC over recent comments made by Senator Kwankwaso.
The statement signed by NNPP’s National Secretary, Comrade Oginni Olaposi Sunday, described Kwankwaso’s remarks as “irresponsible”, and stressed that such views do not reflect the official stance of the party.
Oginni emphasized that Kwankwaso should no longer be regarded as a member or the national leader of the NNPP, pointing out that the party was established and registered in 2002 by Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam.
He noted that both Kwankwaso and his allies had been expelled from the party and no longer have the authority to speak or act on behalf of the NNPP. He described their actions as politically motivated and cautioned them against dragging the party’s name into disrepute.
The statement added, “The disparaging remarks aimed at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Senator Kwankwaso and his faction are solely the opinions of the Kwankwasia group and should not be attributed to the NNPP.”
Oginni also referenced a recent judgment delivered by the FCT High Court in Abuja on April 3, 2025, which upheld the leadership of Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Dr. Agbo Gilbert Major as head of the party’s National Working Committee.
He went on to extend an “unreserved apology” to President Tinubu and the APC, led by Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, distancing the NNPP from the recent controversial statements credited to Kwankwaso.
Additionally, Oginni clarified that individuals such as Senator Kwankwaso, Elder Buba Galadima, and other former executives led by Dr. Ahmed Ajuji are no longer affiliated with the party. This, he said, has been legally affirmed by separate court rulings in both Abia State and the FCT.
He urged journalists and the public to refrain from associating Kwankwaso with the NNPP, stating that he now leads only the Kwankwasia movement.
He further revealed that even some of Kwankwaso’s supporters are beginning to question his legitimacy, particularly over the whereabouts of the party’s original registration certificate—still held by its founder, Dr. Aniebonam.
Reaffirming the party’s commitment to Nigeria’s growth, the NNPP pledged to remain a constructive opposition force, while steering clear of what it termed “dirty politics.”