The New Nigeria Peoples Party has rejected claims linking it to a political coalition under the African Democratic Congress.
The party made its position clear on Thursday, distancing itself from remarks credited to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The clarification followed a recent television interview where Atiku reportedly listed NNPP among parties aligned with the ADC coalition ahead of future political contests. The claim has now been firmly denied by the NNPP leadership.
Speaking on behalf of the party, National Secretary Mr. Ogini Olaposi said the statement came as a surprise. He stressed that the NNPP remains independent and has no plans to merge or align with the ADC in any form.
“We are so surprised that Abubakar, a frontline presidential aspirant of the ADC, could make such an assertion that NNPP is now in ADC,” he said.
Olaposi explained that certain individuals associated with the NNPP may have moved on politically, but their actions do not represent the position of the party. He pointed specifically to Rabiu Kwankwaso and members of the Kwankwasiyya movement, noting that their involvement in any coalition arrangement is personal.
According to him, “Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasiya movement are members of the coalition group, and there is verifiable evidence that some members of the group followed Kwankwaso to the new party.”
He maintained that the NNPP remains focused on its political goals and is not in conflict with any party. However, he insisted that the party would not be drawn into alliances it did not agree to.
“NNPP is not after anyone or group but merely a political party seeking to contest elections in Nigeria like other political parties.
“We have nothing against the ADC, but we also do not want to be part of it.”
Olaposi further revealed that the working relationship between the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya movement had already ended. He said the agreement binding both sides expired after the 2023 general elections, adding that some key figures had since been removed from the party.
“The Memorandum of Association we had with the Kwankwasiya movement expired after the 2023 general elections. Kwankwaso and others were equally expelled from the NNPP.”
He also suggested that not all members of the movement followed the same political direction. Some, he said, have joined other parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Olaposi downplayed the strength of those who left with Kwankwaso. He described them as a minority and warned against overestimating their influence based on public appearances.
“We can also say that some members of the Kwankwasiya movement joined the APC with their leader,” he said, adding that the crowds seen during recent political movements in Kano should not be misinterpreted.
He concluded by expressing hope that the ADC would not be misled by what he described as “rented crowd” during political events.