By Peter Omopo
The leadership crisis rocking the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) deepened on Friday as a factional chairman in Kano, Senator Jibrin Doguwa, dismissed the reported expulsion of former lawmaker Abdulmumin Jibrin from the party, describing it as “illegal and without legitimacy.”
Doguwa spoke in an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH, shortly after the Kwankwasiyya-led faction of the party announced Jibrin’s removal.
The factional chairman, Hashim Dungurawa, had accused Jibrin of anti-party activities and failure to pay mandatory dues, citing these as grounds for the expulsion.
But Doguwa insisted the decision carried no weight.
“I am the legitimate chairman of the party. This decision was made without our consent, so it has no effect,” he said.
He further defended Jibrin’s controversial recent television interview, stressing that it did not amount to anti-party conduct.
“What Kofa said was not anti-party. Every politician has the right to move from one platform to another. Even President Bola Tinubu changed parties before becoming who he is today,” Doguwa argued.
Accusing Dungurawa of exceeding his authority, Doguwa warned that legal action would be taken if such expulsions continued.
“If Dungurawa does not stop this illegality, we will meet him in court,” he warned.
The tussle underscores the widening rift within the NNPP, which has faced persistent factional battles since the 2023 elections.
Jibrin, a former chieftain of the APC and Director-General of the Tinubu Support Groups, defected to the NNPP in 2022 under the Kwankwasiyya banner. However, his recent remarks suggesting a possible exit from the party have fueled speculation about his next political move.
