The New Nigeria People’s Party has clarified its decision not to participate in the upcoming Local Government council elections in Lagos State, citing internal disputes and administrative setbacks.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the local government elections are set to take place across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state.
Speaking on the party’s position, NNPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ogini Olaposi, described the development as “regrettable but necessary,” noting that the party was left with limited choices at a critical time.
“We regret to inform all members of our great party, that it is indeed most unfortunate and regrettable that despite the double victory judgments we received, we could not put our house in order for effective campaigns and participation,” Olaposi told NAN.
He attributed the party’s inability to mobilize effectively to ongoing internal disagreements, especially tensions surrounding an alleged takeover attempt by the faction led by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
“In the build-up to the election, we were still immersed in internal wrangling, following the move by the Sen. Kwankwaso-led group to hijack the leadership of the NNPP,” he explained.
Olaposi also blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its role in further complicating matters by failing to update the party’s official records.
“We were also delayed by the inability of INEC to amend our old records and upload our authentic National Working Committee (NWC), led by Dr Agbo Major, on its server,” he added.
As a result, NNPP was unable to field candidates in the election, an unprecedented situation since its formation and registration in 2001 by its founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam.
However, Olaposi assured members that recent disputes over leadership and the party’s logo had been resolved.
“It was on the strength of the issues that after an emergency meeting of the NEC on Friday in Abuja, we decided to direct our members in Lagos, led by Mrs Anikè Adebowale (state chairman) on which party to vote for,” he said.
He stressed that participation goes beyond simply having candidates on the ballot. “To effectively win in an election, you must not just fill in candidates, you should also be ready for serious campaigns in all wards and areas of the election which we did not do.”
Despite the setback, the NNPP leadership has encouraged its members to support any political party that aligns with its ideological principles in the interim.
NAN noted that only 15 of Nigeria’s 28 registered political parties will be taking part in Saturday’s election.
