The acclaimed Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has said that the nation’s democracy would be marred or sustained by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Aniebonam, who stated this on Wednesday at a briefing in Abuja, condenming the change of NNPP logo and colour, said the Presidential candidate of the NNPP in 2023, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has not seen the registration certificate of the party.
The NNPP BoT chairman said the electoral body has what it takes to resolve the crisis in the party through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).
Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Aniebonam maintained that there was no faction in the party, just as he Chided the Electoral body for not deploying Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism in resolving the crisis rather it went ahead to give approval to change the party’s logo and colour without due recourse to the original members of the party.
He further alleged that it was wrong for the INEC to recognize the illegal convention of the Kwankwaso’s group by attending the convention.
He said “INEC attended their illegal convention, if democracy fails or succeeds is INEC, because it is the regulator, if you can give approval of change of logo and colour, did you see the original certification of registration of the party from them. INEC, just changed the logo and colour because people who are expelled from the party wrote you and you changed the colour.
“INEC, knows that there is crisis in the party, can’t it use it’s internal resolution mechanism to resolve the matter, but it quickly changed the logo and colour I am with the original certificate “
Aniebonam who said he had written to INEC severally to preserve the life of the party, pending the determination of the matter, added that INEC kept quite without responding.
“For me there is no faction in the party, I am the founder and BOT Chairman. We have written to INEC, to preserve the life of the party, pending the determination of the matter in Court but INEC kept quite. The board of any organisation is the force of the organization. The chairman of INEC, must take responsibility and see what is going on in the Commission.
The Party Chieftain who disclosed that he has no grudges against former presidential candidate of the party in the February’s, 2023 general election, Sen Rabiu Kwankwaso but grateful to him for God using him through the crisis to popularize the party.
The Anambra born politician said he is the national leader of the party and is in possession of the original copy of the party’s certificate of registration.
He advised Kwankwaso to forget about the ambition of returning to the party as it’s presidential candidate and look elsewhere.
Aniebonam, who recounted how he founded and funded the party since 2001 said trouble started when he asked Kwankwaso to come to Lagos with the party National chairman for discussion but he came alone and he declined to see Kwankwaso alone, saying that that was the last time he spoke to Kwankwaso.
