NNPP: KANO GOVERNOR, REPS, ASSEMBLY MEMBERS YET TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION PROCESS

NNPP: Kano Gov, Reps, Assembly Members Yet to Complete Resignation Process

By Babatunde Aremu
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has said Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State, 18 members of the House of Representatives and 27 members of the Kano State House of Assembly elected on its platform in 2023 have not completed the constitutional processes required to resign their membership of the party.

The party disclosed this in a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), jointly signed by its National Chairman, Dr Agbo Major, and General Secretary, Mr Oginni Olaposi, on Monday.

The letter, titled “Purported Resignation of Membership of the NNPP by Certain Elected Public Office Holders – Formal Notice of Non-Compliance with the Party Constitution and Applicable Electoral Laws,” urged the commission to take cognisance of the party’s position on the alleged resignations.

The NNPP said although members were free to choose and join political parties of their choice, such decisions must comply with the party’s constitution and applicable electoral laws.
It said: “It is the considered position of the NNPP that the elected members have not complied with the constitutional requirements governing resignation from the party.”

Consequently, the party said it did not recognise the purported resignations as validly effected and maintained that its official membership records had not been lawfully altered in respect of the affected persons.

The party further urged INEC not to treat any alleged resignation or change of party membership as an undisputed fact without considering the party’s official membership records and applicable legal requirements.

According to the NNPP, public declaration of an intention to leave the party or commencement of political activities with another political party does not, by itself, establish compliance with its constitutional procedures for resignation.
The party also warned against attempts by the affected politicians to rely on the purported resignations to seek membership, nomination or sponsorship from another political party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NNPP said the membership registers of political parties were kept by the Secretary-General, who heads the party’s national secretariat, adding that the National Chairman and Secretary-General were responsible for confirming the party’s membership status to INEC.

“Accordingly, all the listed members above duly elected under the platform of NNPP in the 2023 general elections are still our members as at the time Abia State High Court, Uzuakoli, delivered its judgment, except otherwise cleared from our national secretariat,” the party said.

The party maintained that belonging to two political parties simultaneously for electoral purposes would run contrary to relevant electoral laws and guidelines.
It therefore called on INEC to ensure that its statutory processes were not used to give effect to any purported change of party membership or candidature that was inconsistent with the law.

The NNPP said it reserved the right to pursue appropriate legal remedies, including judicial proceedings, to protect its constitutional rights and challenge any action taken in contravention of applicable law.