Internal Crisis: Kwankwaso’s NNPP Sacks South-West Chair, Names Replacement

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has sacked the South-West chairman of the party, Prince Ademola Ayoade.

NNPP, the party on which former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is seeking to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023, announced in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday that the removal of Ayoade was necessary after it could not avoid the politician from an internal dispute.

The party’s secretary, Babatunde Oke, told journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Thursday, that the new NNPP South-west chairman is Alhaji Olayiwola Musbau.

Oke, however, noted that Musbau would be leading the zone in an acting capacity as the party progresses in the 2023 general elections.

The communique signed by all six South-West state chairmen and some party leaders following a zonal meeting in Ibadan noted that the removal of Ayoade was unavoidable after a vote of no confidence was passed on him.

NNPP explained that the decision was arrived at after following due process in removing the chairman.

The party stated that the process was done from Ward 4 in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State and the decision was transmitted to the state leadership, where he was removed as chairman.

The communique further noted that the decision was taken by the party chairmen from Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti and some leaders in the zone.

It reads: “On the 12th of October, 2023, the South-West Executives of our Party, the six state chairmen from Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti and some leaders in the zone met in Ibadan to discuss some fundamental issues bothering them about the coming general elections and the South-West interest.

“Having received copies of the resolution on the removal of Prince Ademola Ayoade as South-West Chairman by his ward, local government and state, council considered it expedient after a careful study of the report and its sensitivity to ratify the decision on the removal of the erstwhile zonal chairman and on the same note approved the nomination of the formal South-West ex-officio from Oyo State as Acting Zonal Chairman as well as that of Honourable Ayobami Idowu as South-West ex officio from Oyo State.

“The decision will soon be transmitted to the National Working Committee of our party and other relevant stakeholders.

“In line with the foregoing, the South-West leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party wishes to inform the general public that Prince Ayoade Ademola is no longer the chairman of our party in the South-West. The new chairman is Alhaji Olayiwola Musbau who is to lead the zone in acting capacity.”