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CSO Petitions INEC, Demands De-Registration of NNPP | READ WHY
The Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law (GDRL) a civil society group has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to de-register the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP).
The group, in a statement signed by Augustine Aaron Ugboha, Esq, and read to the press shortly after submitting the petition to INEC, said this has become necessary over the anti-democratic tendencies, violence, intimidation, arson, and killings linked to members of the party known as Kwankwasiyya political movement.
Ugboha said the group, comprising some top government officials, has unleashed mayhem on innocent citizens following the tribunal judgment that sacked Governor Abbah Yusuf.
Barrister Ugboha recalled that Baffa Abdullahi Bichi, the Secretary to the Kano State Government even went as far as declaring that “there will be no peace in Nigeria if tribunal judgement is against us”.
He added: “Recently, we noticed that our democracy has come under serious threat by the activities of a political group in Kano state, known as the Kwankwasiyya political movement. This group has been alleged to employ every anti-democratic tendency; violence, intimidation, arson, killing, etc., in pursuit of their political interests.
“Indeed, the Kwankwasiyya movement has since become notorious for its disruptive and reckless nature, but our attention was only drawn to their anti-democratic activities before and during the recent judgment of the Kano state governorship election petition tribunal that sacked Governor Abbah K. Yusuf of NNPP and declared Nasir Gawuna Yusuf of APC the validly elected governor of the state. It was with great displeasure and glaring unease that we read the reckless and unguarded utterances of those who are at the leadership echelon of the movement.
“The judiciary is an important component of our electoral system and our democracy. It is therefore an unpardonable blunder for members of the state cabinet council to attempt to use unconstitutional means to intimidate the judiciary out of its legal duties by threatening judges sitting over the case of their principal.
“As if that was not enough, when The Honourable Judges of the Kano State Election petition tribunal commented on the terror nature of the Kwankwasiya Group, through a member of the Kano State tribunal, Justice Benson Anya, who noted in his judgment that it was wrong of any individual or group to ‘threaten the entire polity of Kano State with violence’ because of a court decision.
“He further pointed out how the violent group and political party chased them out of the state using violence, and put them in fear for their lives. He condemned ‘the gang of Red Cap wearers (Kwankwasiya group) who, like a violent and terrorist cult, chased us out of Kano and put us in the fear of our lives’, the Kwankwasiyya group dared to again threaten to petition Hon. Justice Benson Anya before the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC).
“The fact that members of the bench are conservative and do not comment on such issues has made it our solemn duty as lawyers to rise to their defense against a group that is irrevocably determined to end our democracy with uncultured behavior and disruptive violence.
“It is also worrisome to know that such anti-democratic group has since mainstreamed into our political party system through the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP).
“It is on the foregoing that we are urging INEC based on Sections 227 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) which specifically provides ‘No association shall retain, organize, train or equip any person or group of persons enabling them to be employed for the use or display of physical force or coercion in promoting any political objective or interest or in such manner as to arouse reasonable apprehension that they are organised and trained or equipped for that purpose’, to immediately de-register the NNPP as a political party in Nigeria until it purges itself of the cankerworm (Kwankwasiyya).”
