Mohammed Shosanya
A faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party( NNPP) loyal to Boniface Aniebonam, founder of the party has labelled former Governor of Kano state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as an ingrate, who is trying to hijack the party’s structure after using it as a platform to contest for presidency in 2023.
The North Central Secretary of the party, Philip Haruna, while addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, said he personally introduced Kwankwaso to the NNPP founder, Aniebonam on the condition that he would be compensated with N100million if he successfully convince him to allow the use of the platform to contest the 2023 presidential poll.
Although Haruna admitted that it was a gentleman agreement at the time, he revealed that Kwankwaso reneged on the agreement having failed to sail through in the general elections.
He accused Kwankwaso of betraying the party’s trust, noting that the introduction which he ochestrated pitched him against the founder of the party, which happened prior to the general elections.
He said: “I’m here today to let the whole world know nothing but the truth about the plans of Senator Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso to overheat the National Polity by using every illegitimate means to Highjack NNPP from Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam (A Southern Nigeria High Chief) who gave him NNPP as a platform to Contest in 2023 as a Presidential Candidate.
“I want the associate of Senator Kwankwaso, the President of Nigeria His Excellency Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu and well-meaning Nigerians to please ask Senator Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso two simple question which is, when was the party registered and when did he join the party?
“Of course they are people who have been managing and running this party for the past 21 years before Senator Kwankwanso joined in 2022.
“Recognizing the unwavering crisis that has been rocking our great party New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)….. It’s therefore the right time for me to speak out.
“I have been keeping quiet for so long because I was the one who introduced His Excellency Senator Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso to the Founder of NNPP my Father and mentor, Dr Aniebonam Okechukwu Boniface.
“I wish to say it unequivocally that Kwankwaso promised to pay me N100 Million Naira as my Consultancy fee if I succeeded in getting Dr Boniface Aniebonam convinced to give him NNPP as a Platform to Contest 2023 Election as a Presidential Candidate but I know he might like to deny this because it was a purely gentleman agreement because I trusted him, one of his loyalist the defunct national secretary of NNPP Dipo Olayokun once told me that Kwankwanso said he did not discuss how much is to pay me
“I want Nigerians and his associate to ask him, how much did he pay the man who introduced him to the founder of the New Nigeria people’s Party (NNPP) not even a dime was given to me”.
