The national chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Alhaji Abba Kawu Alli, tells TAOFEEK LAWAL what the party is doing to reclaim Kano State at the Supreme Court, the merger proposed by former PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in future elections, the move by the NNPP to reconcile all members among others issues.
Nigerians will want to know your views on the content of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the November 17 judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld the nullification of the election of Abba Kabir Yusuf as the governor of Kano State. The CTC contains contradictions on who was declared winner by the court. What do you think happened to or with the judgment that led to those errors?
What actually happened is that the whole issue is very straightforward. I was in the court when the Court of Appeal passed the judgment. To be sincere with you, on that day, even the action and body language of the judges were clear and it showed that things would not go our way. We observed their action that day. As I said earlier, the way the judgment was read was not straightforward. Everybody, including the lawyers and party members, were all there.
They set aside all our arguments and didn’t address anything relating to our arguments. They only picked a new one and said our governor was not a member of our party, NNPP, and that was what they passed the judgment on. It was then that we knew that we were going to proceed to the Supreme Court because that was not the judgment we were expecting.
Two -three days later, we were expecting to be furnished with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment so that our lawyers could prepare the grounds and proceed to the Supreme Court. However, this came with a lot of frustration because we were told that the CTC was not ready. They were the people who drafted the judgment and read it out. We don’t know why they were saying the CTC was not ready. It was while waiting that we decided to address a press conference and tell Nigerians what we were going through and the efforts being made to frustrate our efforts concerning the CTC.
If your mind is clear in whatever you are doing, you don’t have to entertain any fear. The APC, by all means, wanted to steal the mandate of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the people of Kano State. We believe that God is on our side with all these revelations. You also listened to our press conference at the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Hotel in Abuja on Wednesday where we informed the whole world about what actually happened.
What next now?
The issue is very clear. The victory at the Appeal Court is for us, the NNPP. We will reclaim our mandate. It is appalling that the Appeal Court is now trying to correct the errors in the CTC. One is surprised about what is going on in our judiciary. It is a shame and a very unfortunate situation. What Nigerians need now is to consolidate the gains of our democracy which is what the NNPP stands for, but an arm of government, for reasons best known to them, does not want this to happen. We are heading to the Supreme Court and we have no doubt that at the end of the day, our governor, the people of Kano State and the entire members and supporters of the NNPP will have cause to celebrate.
Given the Appeal Court judgment and the leadership tussle in thw NNPP, what do you think the future holds for your party?
First of all, the judgment is very clear. What has happened is complete injustice. It is a miscarriage of justice which everybody in Nigeria knows, and not only in NNPP. We have heard from prominent Nigerians, especially top lawyers who have the nation’s interest at heart, commenting on the judgment. From the comments here and there, you will know that Nigerians are not happy. To my surprise and that of the party, I was in the court and all our arguments were ignored by the judge. He didn’t show any interest in addressing any of our arguments; he just picked another topic and said that our candidate, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, is not a member of our party, the NNPP.
To say we are surprised will be an understatement. This is somebody who went through all the processes stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). I want to believe that INEC knows what they are doing and they have their own processes and guidelines backed by the constitution before you are considered as a candidate of a political party. They (INEC) will make sure that you have gone through all the party processes before they accept you and put you in their portal and which is what our candidate did. How can you now say someone who passed through this process is not a member of NNPP? Thank God we still have the Supreme Court ahead and we have already briefed our lawyers on this to file a case against the Appeal Court judgment. We are very sure and we have confidence that the Supreme Court will not compromise. We believe they will look into this issue. I don›t want to go deep into court issues but honestly and to be frank with you, the lower courts are making serious errors and I›m not the only one saying this. It is the topic everywhere now and in the media. We have seen how the courts are compromising and giving conflicting judgments.
People sacrificed their time during the elections to vote for the candidates of their choice. They were inside the sun exercising their franchise and some people for reasons best known to them are procuring court judgement through the back door collecting and robbing people of their hard earned votes. This is not good for the country and it is not healthy for our democracy.
I’m optimistic and one hundred percent sure that insha Allah, the Supreme Court will look into this. We have confidence in the Supreme Court and that is why without delay, we immediately filed our case and proceed to the apex court.
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has proposed that the best way to push the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) out of power and stop a one-party system is for the opposition parties to come together as one. Will NNPP be part of the merger when the time comes?
I cannot conclude on a merger or being part of it, but I will say that what the former vice president said is very clear. We are also thinking about the idea as well but we don’t know how it is going to happen. But for now I cannot jump to any conclusion that any party will join us or we are going to join any party. But what the former vice president gives is his own opinion and I personally buy into the idea.
You will recall that the APC came into being through merger to push the PDP out of power. They labelled PDP as enemy of Nigeria but with what has happened in the last eight and half years, you will agree with me that APC is the greatest mistake that has happened to our dear country. People are regretting voting for APC. The idea of merger as suggested by Atiku is good for democracy and it shouldn›t be ruled out but how it is going to happen is what I don›t know. But it is a welcome idea.
Do you think the NNPP could have made difference if it had won the presidential election in February?
See, in politics, there are two things that people look forward to when they are seeking power. First, some just want to be in power and be called Senator, Honourable Member, Governor and that is where it ends. Some want serve the people and they already have their vision and mission before coming to power. This is what NNPP stands for and you can see what Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is doing for Nigerians in Kano State. Within six months that he has been in office, he has made a lot of positive impacts in the lives of Kano people. Governance is all about touching the lives of the people no matter your status. The records are there for all to see. Governor Kabir Yusuf has achieved in six months what Abdullahi Ganduje›s government failed to do in eight years. Is it in the area of education or what? As we speak you can go and confirm, education is free in Kano. Uniform, bags, shoes, writing materials, textbooks are distributed to students free of charge. He has provided all what will make a student comfortable in his learning. The same applies to hospitals in the state. You don›t need to pay a dime to access health facilities in Kano. He has sponsored more than 1,000 students to go and study outside the country even the Federal Government has not done that.
If our governor is doing all these in Kano, imagine what our leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, will be doing for Nigeria and Nigerians now. But it›s a pity Nigerians are not lucky with leaders they have chosen in recent years. We came with our manifestos which clearly spelt out what we wanted to do for Nigerians if we are elected into office but Nigerians know better now. Nigeria would have been better for it if Kwakwanso had won the presidential election.
You will agree with me that the NNPP has not been the same since the exit of your former national chairman, Professor Rufa’i Ahmed Alkali; who has left for theAPC; Chief Aniebonam, Dr Agbo and others. Are you considering any form of reconciliation with these people for the party to move forward and be solid again?
For your information, our party is still solid and formidable. There is no crack in our party. We are a national party and with or without these people you have mentioned, we are doing fine and well. But as a political party, we wouldn›t like to miss or lose a member but the fact that they have left the party has not affected us in anyway. In party politics, 10 people can leave and 60 people will come in and this is normal. We are firm and we are very much on ground. I can tell you that NNPP is a party of the future for 2027. But with all respect, these are respected people of our party. I wish they are still in the party and this is my personal opinion. But their absence also has not affected the party in anyway whatsoever.
Do you believe that the NNPP will reclaim Kano with the way things are going?
Yes, I have no doubt about that because, as I said earlier, the Appeal Court ignored our arguments but we believe that the Supreme Court will give us justice as our case is unambiguous; it is very clear. It is still part of Supreme Court judgment that court has no right whatever to interfere in party affairs.
What they are saying that Governor Kabir Yusuf is member of NNPP is a similar case to that of Obi and Tinubu, Ahmed Lawan and Bashir Machina. The Supreme Court will definitely look into it because it is already there and it is solely a party affair. And for your information, during our press briefing last Saturday, we have already provided all the evidence which states that Abba Kabir Yusuf is a bonafide member of the NNPP. There is a certified true copy (CTC) with INEC and even to the court prior the Kano Tribunal Judgement November 17 Appeal Court judgment.
Even the Appeal Court judge when he was presenting his judgement said they received three copies where our candidate›s name was presented. He said two carried his name and his membership number. The only one that did not carry his Governor Kabir Yusuf›s name was smuggled in by APC from nowhere maybe from a business centre and they scrapped his name. And in a court when you are provided with three evidence and two are okay and one is not, you have to act on the two.
I believe there is a game as far as this case is concerned. These people are desperate and want to procure judgment to take away people›s mandate through the back door. This is not fair and it won›t take us anywhere. I want to call on the leadership of APC and also the Presidency to save Nigeria democracy. The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a respected party man, a grassroot politician and a democrat. These are what we know him to be before he became the president. But honestly as the national chairman of the NNPP, I will advise the President not to make people lose confidence in him and the integrity he has built for himself over the years. He should not allow certain people to use or mislead him to snatch a free mandate given to candidates in elections. This is not good for our democracy and it is not good for Nigeria.
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