NNPP suspends Senator Kawu Sumaila over anti-party claims

From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State, on Monday, announced disciplinary actions against some of its notable members over alleged anti-party activities.

The State Chairman of the party, Hashimu Dungurawa, disclosed this during a chat with newsmen in the state.

Those affected by the party’s suspension included the Senator representing Kano South, Kawu Sumaila, a member representing Rogo Federal Constituency, Abdullahi Sani Rogo, the member representing Rano/Kibiya, Abdullahi Rirum, and Ali Maadakin Gini, the member representing Dala Federal Constituency.

The party chairman expressed disappointment with their recent actions. According to him, despite being given complementary tickets to the National Assembly during the party elections, these members had allegedly gone against the party’s wishes, beliefs, and rules.

Thesun.ng gathered that the relationship between the NNPP and some of the affected legislators had been awry in the last few months, with some of them said to have perfected their plans to defect from the party.

Among the many issues in contention were the NNPP state government’s policy of dissolving and later downgrading some of the emirates, the rejection of the red cap culture which elevates a single person above the party, and the continued romance of some of the party officials with key figures of their previous party, the All Progressives Congress.

Thesun.ng gathered that last weekend’s wedding of Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila’s child, held in Sumaila, broke the camel’s back. Invitations were extended to top officials of the All Progressives Congress, including the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibril, and the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, but it was doubtful if similar invitations were extended to the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Governor of the state, Abba Kabir Yusuf.