In a recent interview on Channels Television from 46.10, Senator Abdulmumin Jibrin addressed the rising political tension within the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). He explained that while Dr. Boniface Aniebonam may have founded the NNPP, it remained largely unknown and inactive for 20 years, winning no elections. This changed dramatically when former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, joined the party and gave it new life.
According to Senator Jibrin, a political party isn’t something one person can fully own, like a house or property. He suggested that Dr. Aniebonam’s role as the party’s founder doesn’t mean he owns it. Instead, a political party belongs to its members and supporters.
When Kwankwaso joined the NNPP, the party quickly gained popularity. Within just six months of the last election, the NNPP won major political victories, including control of Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest state. They also secured 19 seats in the House of Representatives and two Senate seats, missing a third by a narrow margin. Jibrin credited this success to the “Kwankwasiya Movement,” a strong political network inspired by Kwankwaso.
He emphasized that Kwankwaso’s involvement revived the NNPP and made it a powerful force in Nigerian politics, bringing it to life in a way that hadn’t been seen since its founding.