The New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, has blamed their presidential candidate in the February 25, 2023 election, Rabiu Kwankwaso for the loss of the Kano State Governor, Yusuf Abba at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, News About Nigeria reports.
They also accused Kwankwaso of allegedly selling out NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to negotiate for a ministerial slot in the President Bola Tinubu-led government.
The party said this in a statement by one of its chieftains in Southwest, Alhaji Abass Akande Onilewura.
Onilewura also alleged that Kwankwaso’s involvement in anti-party activities led to the big loss the party is facing with the declaration of the Tribunal in Kano.
The statement reads in part: “This loss is a big one for us at NNPP and it only happened because of the selfishness of Kwankwaso who sold the party to the highest bidder.
“While we are still waiting for the Certified True Copy of the tribunal judgment, it is important for the world to know that this would not have happened if Kwankwaso had allowed due process and given the ticket to the most qualified candidate but his inlaw.
“Our investigation also showed that the continuous engagement of Kwankwaso with APC at some point gave room for them to discover loopholes which were later used against the Kano governor to secure victory for the opposition.”
He, however, charged members of the party to “remain calm because a new leadership has taken over the party and we would do everything to restore the glory of our party. NNPP will come out to become a strong voice and opposition that would stand for justice, equity, and good governance.”
Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Wednesday sacked Yusuf Abba and declared the APC candidate, Nasir Gawuna, winner of the March 18 governorship poll.
The three-man panel, led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, also withdrew the Certificate of Return the Independent National Electoral Commission presented to Yusuf.
The tribunal in their judgement stated that the Kano governor was sacked because the margin of votes scored by NNPP was invalid and not in compliance with the 2022 electoral act.
The judges also deducted 165,663 votes from the NNPP, adding that the ballot papers of the 165,663 were not stamped or signed and therefore declared invalid.
