We didn’t approve Tinubu’s emergency rule in Rivers State – NNPP

By OUR REPORTER, Abuja

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has reacted to newspaper reports creating the impression that it aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State, saying no reasonable political party established for the good of the people and with the public and national interest will believe let alone backing the unconstitutionality that happened in the state.

An anonymous person at the party’s National Secretariat, in a media interview with The DEFENDER Saturday night, said those who issued the reported statement are not even faction members as the party is not factionised.

He then advised media organizations in the country to continue to show commitment to justice and patriotism by investigating any statement or anybody’s claim of NNPP representation with a view to ascertaining the authenticity of what he claims to represent.

He noted that National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and his party leadership both in Abuja and Kano State are the people funding media reports to make the NNPP look like factionalise, but that the party would never be part of any infraction of the Constitution going on.

A report titled, “Rivers: No responsible govt. ‘Il allow crisis to worsen before acting – NNPP backs Tinubu”, published in the Vanguard referencing the federal government’s News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, indicated that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) had expressed its support for President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.

According to the report, quoting one Dr Agbo Major as national chairman of the party, it was said no responsible government will allow a situation to deteriorate before taking decisive action in the best interest of its citizens.

Major, said to have spoken in Lagos, emphasised that the decision was likely made based on the information available to the Federal Government.

“President Tinubu is the Chief Security Officer of Nigeria. The information available to him as president from intelligent sources may not be in the public purview.

“The government in Rivers was suspended and no one can actually say what would have happened by now, judging from the deepening crisis.

“The crisis was further compounded by some leaders who, instead of offering advice or promoting peace during the turmoil, allowed it to escalate before later stepping in to criticize,” he said.

Speaking on Wike, Major noted that as an indigene and former governor of the state, there was nothing wrong if he had stakes and interests in Rivers.

“Wike as a minister, is neither the Inspector General of Police, Chairman of EFCC, Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Judge of the Federation nor President of Nigeria.

“If our institutions are not compliant to their statutory functions, why can’t we leave Wike alone to live his life?

Opposition to the government at the center is the lifeblood of democracy and a catalyst for good governance when it is constructive and aimed at enhancing productivity.

“However, if opposition simply means dismissing everything the government does as wrong, then something is definitely amiss,” he added.

But in his reaction, the NNPP Spokesman, Ladipo Johnson, said “It was not possible for the NNPP to defend the shenanigans of Tinubu’s Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, who tried to struggle with the constitutionally recognized and democratically elected Governor of the state, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, over the control of the state’s political power and resources after having spent his own right years, is the very undoing that can happen by a group of acclaimed opposition that is definitely not NNPP.

“As per the question that they called themselves NNPP, let me assure you that they are not NNPP because they are not part of us. If you click INEC portal, it is the name of Alhaji Ajuji Ahmed as national chairman of the NNPP and our red colour logo with education symbol you will see. To further assure you, the leader of the party, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had released a statement condemning the declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State and that suffices.”

He said, “There are things you should look out for in a publicly identified organisation especially like the one that gave out statement that was saying direct opposite of what our party stands for. The NNPP has its logo which is red and symbolises the party’s commitment to education. If you go to the website of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that is what you will see. So what are they talking about?

“I will appeal to the media practitioners in Nigeria to please help this democracy to thrive by not allowing people of unstable character have the chance of space and time in their publications.

“We should all show interest in this democracy’s survival because, if we allow the likes of Ganduje who we believe to be behind all of this attempted destabilization of NNPP, we will be heading to other than collapse of our the democracy and it must be avoided. Only the media have the capacity to stop them.

“Look at us, we have only one state. Which party has only one state with the level of performance that is happening in Kano State and would want all of its achievements to blow off in its face in the name of supporting anti-people policies of any party that we know is responsible for both political and emirate issues that the state has experienced.

“”NNPP is not Ganduje’s party. His party is APC and all they are doing, planting stories in some of the media to destroy opposition parties is the fear of 2027, but they should seek 2027 by showcasing their good work through good marketing strategy to convince Nigerians what good things the have done to warrant their re-election. That is way to go, not by trying to destabilize already doing well opposition that is as formidable as NNPP you can win in 2027. We don’t know them,” he said.