Kwankwaso’s Betrayal Cited by NNPP as Reason for Jibrin, Oguntoyinbo Joining APC, PDP

The defections of Rep. Abdulmuni Jibrin to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Oluremi Oguntoyinbo to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been attributed by the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to Rabiu Kwankwaso’s anti-party actions and betrayal of trust.

According to reports, Jibrin, a former director-general of President Bola Tinubu’s Support Groups, declared his support for Tinubu’s reelection in 2027 and announced his return to the APC on Monday.

Additionally, Oguntoyinbo, a former NNPP candidate for Ogun governor, formally resigned from the party on Monday and joined the PDP.

Ogini Olaposi, the National Secretary of the NNPP, stated in a statement on Tuesday that Kwankwaso and his followers caused an avoidable leadership crisis that led to the wave of defections plaguing the party.

“The NNPP faced a series of litigations and still faces a leadership crisis after Kwankwaso and his movement attempted to seize control of the party’s structures and leadership,” the statement stated. In Kano, a large number of our crucial members defected to the APC.

“We claim to practice democracy, but no responsible politician would want to be in a political party where an individual views himself as the beginning and end of decision-making.”

Unfortunately, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, the NNPP’s founder and chairman of the board of trustees, trusted Kwankwaso and his supporters, and they betrayed that confidence.

“Our party has been plagued by the avoidable betrayal of trust by our founder, who gave Kwankwaso the party’s presidential ticket at no cost.”

“We are not shocked by the alliances in the run-up to the 2027 general elections because many members are relocating to areas where they will be relevant and running in elections free from political tradership and abuse of power.

Olaposi added that the party welcomes members from other parties to join its ranks and has no problem with members defecting.

“Every Nigerian has the right to select the party they want to be a part of,” he emphasized. Due to our internal leadership issue, the defectors joined a different party voluntarily rather than under pressure.

“As a political party, we believe in honesty and integrity; politics is not a do-or-die situation. We are not desperate.

“Nigerian political parties have beliefs… Since a person’s identity is greatly influenced by their allegiance to a certain philosophy, members of the NNPP are free to quit if they no longer share it, and those who do are free to stay or join.

Olaposi stated that the party continues to hope that the NNPP leadership situation would be quickly resolved by INEC’s new leadership, allowing it to actively participate in the 2027 elections and beyond.

“We hope that INEC should not wait for a compelling court order to obey valid court judgments,” he continued.

“We will reclaim control of our party; we urge all of our members and prospective members to remain composed and law-abiding.”