By Gbenga Sodeinde In Ado Ekiti
New Nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP) chairmen have described debunked the alleged reports that the party, NNPP has been in talk with Labour Party in a bid to merge.
A statement signed by Dada Olayinka Olabode, the spokesperson of Forum of State Chairmen and made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti described this as as figment of the imagination of the discussants.
Olabode who also doubled as the NNPP Chairman in Ekiti State said, “We have been inundated with recent reports in the media on merger talks amongst the PDP, LP and NNPP being orchestrated by former Presidential candidates of the three political parties.
“Our party, the New Nigeria People’s Party is a national political party that contested elections at all levels in the just concluded 2023 general elections. The results as announced by INEC despite obvious infractions put our party at number four amongst the eighteen registered political parties that contested elections into the various offices on performance rating.
“Secondly, as a growing political party whose prospects brightens by the day with mass acceptability amongst Nigerians, it would amount to a sell-out to now think of merger or alliance without proper consultation with the different organs of the party structure.
“Thirdly, only gangsters will collaborate against the wishes of their party members in mooting an idea of merger even when election petitions at various tribunals are yet to be dispensed with. It is at best a gang up against the ruling government and an attempt to undermine the fragile peace, unity and sovereignty of Nigeria.
“The Forum of State Chairmen of our party wish to dissociate from the self serving agenda of the arrowheads of such merger talks. For us in NNPP, there are procedures to be followed in arriving at any of such decision and considerations.
“The involvement of Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso is nothing other than self pursuits laced with vengeful intent. We are not unaware of his desperate plans and will not allow any individual whose stake or claim to the Presidential seat has long been traded for ministerial consideration all for himself.
“As Chairmen in our various states, it is a well known fact that our disagreement with Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso centred on his avowed pursuit of self interest against the desire of the party members who are daily consolidating on membership drive, and repositioning the party to democratically form government through People’s mandate in subsequent elections.
“May it be known to the proponents of the afterthought merger or alliance that nobody in NNPP has the exclusive right to negotiate on behalf of the party without the consent and permission of the Founder and Chairman of Board of Trustees, Chief Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam. Any discussion therefore, suggesting to the contrary is an attempt to pull the wool over People’s eyes.
This forum will resist such.
“Finally, we wish to remind self acclaimed leader of NNPP to thread with caution and warn the general public to be wary of nomadic politicians whose sole interest is to engineer crisis in the political space of our nation. Our focus at the moment as a party is to rebuild and weed out political traders from our great party. This we are committed to doing without any compromise”. NNPP Chairmen added.