The leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, demanding that he retracts his recent comments on the party’s internal crisis or face legal action.
El-Rufai, while speaking at the Social Democratic Party (SDP) headquarters, alleged that the ruling government was responsible for the ongoing crisis within the NNPP.
However, in a swift reaction, the party’s factional national chairman, Oginni Olaposi, dismissed the statement as baseless and unfounded.
“El-Rufai lacks knowledge of the workings of the NNPP and the challenges we are facing,” Olaposi said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“We demand that he tenders an unreserved apology within 48 hours or face legal consequences for his defamatory remarks.”
Olaposi further challenged El-Rufai to seek clarification from former NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, regarding the crisis within the party.
He posed a series of questions aimed at debunking El-Rufai’s claim of federal government interference.
“We shall ask Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to ask his friend, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to answer the following questions before making unverified allegations against the government,” Olaposi stated.
“Was it the federal government that asked Kwankwaso to go to Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam in February 2022 to beg for the NNPP platform? Was it the federal government that instructed him to insult the party’s founder?”
The NNPP chairman also accused Kwankwaso of sidelining the party’s leadership and attempting to take control, leading to internal conflicts.
“Was it the federal government that asked Kwankwaso to challenge his expulsion from NNPP in court? Was it the federal government that stopped him and Governor Abba Yusuf from appearing before the party’s disciplinary committee?” Olaposi queried.
He emphasized that El-Rufai’s remarks were not only misleading but also damaging to the NNPP’s reputation.
“We will not hesitate to take legal action if he fails to retract his statement and apologize to the party within the given timeframe,” he warned.