Katsina NNPP Sacks Party Chairman, Others Over “Illegal Meeting” With APC

The Katsina State chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has sacked Sani Liti, the state party chairman, Muttaqa Rabe-Darma, and other key officials.

This is according to a statement from Nasiru Usman-Kankia, the NNPP’s director of media and publicity.

Usman-Kankia who announced this during a press briefing in Katsina on Friday asserted that the key members of the party were sacked for engaging in anti-party activities, such as endorsing Dr Dikko Radda of the All Progressives Congress on Thursday.

He asserted that Dr Radda, the APC candidate, claimed that an alliance rather than a defection was the subject of his meeting with NNPP members after the “illegal meeting” had gone public.

The NNPP spokeswoman recalled that the group had warned its candidates, leaders, and members about the risks of collaborating with other political parties on March 5.

“As you are already aware, a section of the state executive leadership of the party convened an unauthorized meeting on Thursday, March 9, the decision of which almost rocked the party”, Usman-Kankia explained.

“An emergency exco meeting comprising 19 out of 29 members was conveyed to discuss the immediate and remote causes of the illegal meeting.

“Facts have emerged that the illegal meeting was unconstitutionally convened without the consent of the state executive committee.

“It was also discovered that even when invitations were sent for the illegal meeting to state and local government exco members and ward chairmen, they were informed that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss and disburse funds for the settlement of polling unit agents and ward coordinators.

“However, at the illegal meeting, the APC gubernatorial candidate was ushered in and the NNPP state chairman, Liti, the party’s governorship running mate, Rabe-Darma, and other top executives introduced other members present as decamped to the APC.

“Almost immediately, the entire arena turned chaotic with shouts of NNPP slogans and chants of no, no, no, by the party’s loyalists.”

She continued, “Accordingly, party officers, members, and candidates at all levels are not authorized to discuss, negotiate or form any alliance with any political party to win the upcoming governorship and legislative polls.

“Anyone who endorses a candidate of another political party will be sanctioned in line with the NNPP Constitution, ranging from suspension to expulsion.

“Our emergency meeting considered and decided to expel the officials and members involved in the illegal forum, subject to the approval of the party’s national executive committee.

“They are state Chairman, Sani Liti; state Secretary, Umar Jibril; youth leader, Mustapha Basheer; Katsina zonal Chairman, Dauda Kurfi; Funtua Zonal Chairman, Abdulhadi Mai-Dawa; Daura zonal Chairman, Dr Sale Mashi; deputy governorship candidate, Rabe-Darma and Sen. Audu Yandoma.”