The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has condemned claims made by one Oginni Sunday, dismissing him as an impostor with no authority to speak on behalf of the party.
Oginni had, in a press statement recently, purportedly acting as NNPP’s National Secretary, refuted former Kaduna State Governor Nasir
El-Rufai’s assertion that the federal government was fueling the party’s internal crisis.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, the NNPP categorically denounced all statements attributed to
Oginni, emphasizing that he and others had long been expelled from the party due to anti-party activities.
The party questioned his authority to issue press statements in the NNPP’s name.
Johnson said: “The question of faction as erroneously being reported in the press does not arise. It’s absolutely uninformed, a misplaced identity and should be discontinued henceforth.
“Oginni and his cohort are NOT members of the party and do not constitute a faction in fact or in Law. They have no authority to speak on behalf of the NNPP.”
On El-Rufai’s remarks, the NNPP acknowledged that his claims could hold some truth, given the past actions of Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and his associates, whom the party accused of acting as impostors.
Johnson added, “It is true that the former Kaduna governor, el-Rufai is stating the obvious going by the antecedents of these impostors.
“During the Tribunal case involving Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, these renegades publicly supported the APC and similarly did so during the Emirship tussle and the Local government election.
“Having supported the position of the APC as against that of our party NNPP, and at times going out of their way to issue press statements in this regard, anyone in his or her right senses would naturally be of the opinion that these people are not members of the NNPP but are apologists or covert agents of the APC!
“But of course, they are not our members and the public, particularly the press, should see them as such by cross-checking our factual position here with INEC.
“We do agree though that the public perception that they are acting out the script of their paymasters is logical and seems convincing.
“So to that extent and indeed going by the latest spurious claims by one faceless Oginni Sunday, there’s a sense in el-Rufai’s assertions that some evil hands are behind the nefarious activities of these impostors.”
The party reiterated that the case of Oginni Sunday like others were carefully weighed in the past and party guidelines were followed before their expulsion from the party, adding that their expulsion had been upheld through pronouncements of the courts at different times.
