A legal battle within the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) came to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday as the Federal Capital Territory High Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a faction loyal to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. The suit had challenged the leadership of the party, particularly targeting the legitimacy of the current administration under founder Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and National Chairman Dr. Agbo Major.
The case, brought by Dr. Ahmed Ajuji and 20 other plaintiffs, sought to invalidate the authority of the party’s leadership, including the Board of Trustees and key officials such as National Secretary Oginni Olaposi and Deputy National Chairman Chief Felix Chukwurah. The plaintiffs argued they had been unjustly expelled from the party and demanded that the court stop the current leadership from convening meetings, conducting congresses, or presiding over the party’s National Convention.
However, Justice M.A. Hassan ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction over internal party disputes, citing precedents set by both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The judge reiterated that courts do not intervene in political party matters, except in cases directly related to candidate nominations for elections.
“The law is clear: courts do not adjudicate internal party issues, unless it concerns the nomination of candidates,” Justice Hassan stated, effectively dismissing the lawsuit and reaffirming that the Agbo Major-led leadership remains the legitimate authority of the NNPP.
This ruling echoes a previous decision from November 2024 by the Abia State High Court, which had already upheld the legitimacy of the NNPP’s Board of Trustees and reaffirmed the validity of its congresses and conventions, including the election of the current leadership.
Defendants’ counsel, Segun Fiki, celebrated the court’s decision, calling the lawsuit an attempt to undermine the rightful leadership of the party. “The court has made it clear that this matter is non-justiciable,” Fiki stated. “We now expect the Independent National Electoral Commission to formally recognize the duly elected leadership.”
However, the Kwankwaso faction expressed disappointment with the ruling. National Publicity Secretary Ladipo Johnson criticized the court’s decision, suggesting that the judgment was an unfair endorsement of the current leadership. “The judge wrongly claimed that this was an internal party matter. But does a lack of jurisdiction mean the same thing as endorsing Major and Aniebonam? There’s more to come on this,” Johnson hinted, suggesting that the faction would issue a formal statement to clarify their position.
With this legal defeat, the leadership dispute within the NNPP appears to have reached a critical point, and the focus now shifts to whether the party’s factions can reconcile or if further legal battles lie ahead.
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