The Kano state chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has suspended Sen. Kawu Sumaila, representing the Kano South Senatorial district, and three other lawmakers for associating with the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Umar Ganduje, and deputy Senate president Jibrin Barau.
The other house representative members suspended include Kabiru Alhassan Rurum (Rano/Kibiya Federal Constituency), Ali Madakin Gini (Dala Federal Constituency) and Sani Abdullahi Rogo (Rogo/Karaye Federal Constituency).
The party Chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa, announced the suspension while responding to questions from newsmen at the party secretariat on Monday, noting that the lawmakers were suspended due to gross misconduct.
Dungurawa said the members were elected under the NNPP platform but have recently acted contrary to the party’s interest, norms and values.
According to him, they were given complimentary tickets during the party elections. Still, after being elected, they began to work against the party’s interests, describing them as ‘not too functional members of the Party ‘.
“They are doing things contrary to our interests, norms and values of our party, and we find it very necessary for us to have a stand which is to suspend them because of their wrongdoings, bad attitude to the party, demoralising party stand and movement (kwankwasiya movement),” he said.
The NNPP Chairman, however, cited instances where Senator Sumaila commissioned projects and conducted his daughter’s wedding in his zone. APC bigwigs such as APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin were in attendance, while those who supported him were not invited.
Meanwhile, Ganduje hinted at plans to receive senior officials, senators, and other legislators from the NNPP into the APC at the weekend in Kano.
Reacting, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, the member representing Rano, Kibiya, and Bunkure Federal Constituency, has dismissed his suspension from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano, describing it as a baseless move and an act of contempt of court.
Reacting to the suspension notice issued by the Kano NNPP Chairman, Hashim Sulaiman Dungurawa, Rurum insisted that he and his colleagues were never aligned with the faction that changed the party’s logo, emphasising that they belong to a different NNPP faction.
Rurum and Madakin Gini had openly disassociated themselves from the Kwankwasiyya movement and identified with the NNPP, which bears the fruit and basket logo.
He said, “The world knows we have not been with them since they changed the party’s logo. We are in the NNPP with the fruit and basket logo, while they are with the book logo. We also have a court judgment that dismissed their claims.”
He accused the Kano NNPP leadership of defying legal rulings, stating, “What they did is a contempt of court. They are not legitimate party leaders. After our victory, they took us to an Abia High Court, and even this week, we were in court again. They are deceiving Nigerians.”
Rurum also linked the suspension to the recent wedding ceremony of Senator Kawu Sumaila’s daughter, which he said was attended by prominent Nigerians.
He alleged that the party’s leadership, including its national leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, was invited but chose not to attend.
“The real issue disturbing them, which shouldn’t even be politicised, is the wedding of Senator Kawu Sumaila’s daughter. Honourable Nigerians were in attendance, and all of them, including Kwankwaso, were invited, but they refused to show up,” he said.
Rurum dismissed the suspension as meaningless, stating that his faction operates independently.
“Everybody in this country knows we are on two different lanes. They have only suspended themselves because we are not with them,” he declared.
His reaction adds to the deepening rift within the NNPP, with ongoing legal battles and political tensions widening the divide between the two factions.
