Former NNPP National chairman, 25 others dump party for APC

No fewer than 26 chieftains of the New Nigeria People’s Party, including three governorship candidates, and the immediate past National Chairman of the party, Prof Rufa’i Alkali, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress on Tuesday.
The development came two days after the South East chapter of the NNPP disowned the presidential candidate and leader of the party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and settled for Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, who founded the party 22 years ago.

The defectors who arrived at the APC national secretariat in Abuja around 3.35pm were eceived by the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
Explaining why they switched allegiance from the NNPP to the APC, Alkali told newsmen on Tuesday that they found the ruling party to be an accommodating platform for any serious politician.

He said, “Mr Chairman sir, before you today are some of the leading members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, indeed the cream of the party who recently resigned from the party. As Your Excellency may be aware, most of us seated here participated actively in building and strengthening the NNPP political base as a formidable political movement that enabled the party to field candidates in virtually every electable position throughout the 36 States of the Federation and Abuja.

“We took time to consult widely with our friends, associates and supporters before we concluded that following our departure from the NNPP and PDP, if we must advance forward, our next destination should be the APC. As usual, we know the temptation for some people is to say that we are joining the APC now because it is the ruling party at the federal level in the country, but as far as we are concerned, this is far from the truth.

“To us, the APC is more accommodating. We are even more convinced that there is a sense of urgency to address the political, economic and social issues that confront our country in order to bring greater good to the greater number of Nigerians, especially the poor, the underprivileged, the women, the youth and other vulnerable groups in our society. And we believe His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will see us through.”

Welcoming the former NNPP chieftains, Ganduje told the audience that he knew much about the merger that evolved into the present NNPP.
“It was a decent party before it was bought and polluted by the Kwankwasiyya (movement). But you have done well by retracing your step to the right party, which is the APC. I promise to convey your congratulatory message to President Bola Tinubu and arrange for you to meet him face to face,” he said.

Reacting via a phone chat, the National Publicity Secretary of the NNPP, Yakubu Shendam, told The PUNCH that the defection meant little or nothing to the party.

While describing the defectors as lightweight politicians, Shendam said he prayed Alkali and others wouldn’t become a liability to the ruling party.
He said, “There is no cause for alarm. But I don’t want to agree with you that Alkali and others are leaving the NNPP for the APC. No, these people have left the party immediately after the presidential election. We know Alkali has been looking for where to perch since then.
“Party politics is always like that. People will cross over from here to the other side.

You will recall that immediately after the presidential election, there was a lot of defection from one party to the other. It is not a new thing.
“Anybody is free to refer to them as chieftains. But what were their contributions during the last presidential election? What did they deliver? We only groomed and give them soft landing while they were here. They are just regular traders jumping from one party to the other.

“We won’t miss them. The party is healthy. We have a gladiator in Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and he has enough shock absorbers to sustain the party. We wish them well and hope they don’t become a liability wherever they are going.”

The NNPP chieftains who defected included Kaduna State governorship candidate, Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi; Benue State gvernorship candidate, Prof. Bem Angwe; Yobe governorship candidate, Garba  Umar; ex- Gombe Commissioner for Women Affairs, Binta Bello; Gombe senatorial candidate, Abigail Albashi; Kaduna NNPP Chairman, Nuhu Audu; ex-Kaduna PDP Chairman and immediate past Secretary of NNPP (North West), Dr Isa Shika and Kaduna senatorial candidate, Mikaih Takwat.

Others include Kaduna Party Secretary, Major Yahaya Shinko (retd,); Kaduna Zonal Chairman, Usman Danbaba; former Cross River State Commissioner, Godwin Ettah; Gombe House of Rep candidate, Adamu Gargajiga; Benue senatorial candidate, Isaac Idu; Benue NNPP Deputy Chairman, Ihyom Asongu; ex-Benue Commissioner for Information, John Tine; Gombe House of Rep candidate, Bukar  Mailafiya; and ex-Gombe Commissioner for Community Development and Poverty Alleviation, Aishatu Hashidu among others.