The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has given reasons why it will not be taking part in the upcoming local government election in Lagos State scheduled for Saturday.
The election, set to hold across all 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas, will feature candidates from various political parties. However, the NNPP will not be among them.
Speaking with reporters, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ogini Olaposi, said the situation was painful but unavoidable due to recent internal and administrative problems.
“We regret to inform all members of our great party, that it is indeed most unfortunate and regrettable that despite the double victory judgments we received, we could not put our house in order for effective campaigns and participation,” Olaposi said.
He pointed out that internal conflict, especially the leadership battle involving the group loyal to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, played a major role in disrupting the party’s preparations.
“In the build-up to the election, we were still immersed in internal wrangling, following the move by the Senator Kwankwaso-led group to hijack the leadership of the NNPP,” he said.
Adding to the party’s troubles, Olaposi noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had yet to update its system with the party’s new leadership details.
“We were also delayed by the inability of INEC to amend our old records and upload our authentic National Working Committee, led by Dr Agbo Major, on its server,” he stated.
He also explained that because of these setbacks, the party missed the chance to properly organize campaigns or field candidates in any ward, something the NNPP has not experienced since it was founded by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam in 2001.
Olaposi, however, noted that the issue of party logo and leadership had now been resolved, and a decision was made during an emergency National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.
“It was on the strength of the issues that after an emergency meeting of the NEC on Friday in Abuja, we decided to direct our members in Lagos, led by Mrs Anikè Adebowale (state chairman) on which party to vote for,” he said.
“To effectively win in an election, you must not just fill in candidates, you should also be ready for serious campaigns in all wards and areas of the election which we did not do.”
Despite the problems, the NNPP has urged its members to vote for a party with similar values and goals.
