Crisis hits Southwest NNPP over redesigned party logo

A crisis has erupted among members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the Southwest region, following the redesign of the party logo.

The leadership and stakeholders of the NNPP in the Southwest have dismissed the claims made by Adebisi Olopoeyan and its Publicity Secretary, Kilamiwaye Badmus, regarding the new logo.

The party alleged that the two members either acted out of ignorance or with the intent to mislead the public and cause discord within the party.

NNPP, in a statement issued on Thursday, by its Southwest Zonal Chairman, Prince Ademola Ayoade, after stakeholders had an emergency meeting in Ibadan, said that the men were probably being used by political enemies to discredit the NNPP national leadership but that they had failed in their “assignment”.

The Southwest Zonal Chairman of the NNPP, Prince Ademola Ayoade, claimed that Olopoeyan and Badmus were likely being used by political adversaries to discredit the national leadership of the NNPP, but their efforts had failed.

Ayoade recalled that Olopoeyan and Badmus had widely publicized statements accusing Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the NNPP National leader, of making decisions solely and without consulting stakeholders regarding the new logo.

Ayoade said: “The change of the logo was duly deliberated upon by the National Working Committee (NWC), approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and ratified by the National Convention as part of the Constitutional amendment carried out by the party and due democratic process was followed.

“The whole objective of this unfortunate orchestration in their media statement was to discredit the NNPP national leadership but they have failed woefully in their assignment. Of course, reading between the lines, it is obvious that they are being used by our political opponents. It’s a cheap blackmail to cause disaffection within the party.

“The change in logo was exigent as Olopoeyan admitted and the process as part of our constitution amendment went through the NWC, NEC and National Convention for ratification. So it passed through due democratic process. Their actions are therefore false, misleading, malicious and should be disregarded by the public.”

He said the NNPP convention followed due democratic process, noting that contrary to the “reckless assertion”, there was no court order barring the convention as previous cases instituted against the party’s leadership were thrown out as lacking in merit.

The convention was actually postponed till last Saturday due to obedience of a court summons which was disposed of by the court, Ayoade said. “But Olopoeyan’s claims here are understandable because he’s acting out the script of his paymasters.”

The stakeholders and leaders of the South West assured NNPP members nationwide that the party was rebuilding towards a new era of democratic advancement which will birth a vigorous campaign for the emancipation of the people by meeting their basic needs in education, health, security, food sufficiency and infrastructural development across board.

Ayoade urged NNPP members to rededicate themselves to the cause of national renewal, which would involve mobilizing and propagating the idea that the government can and should improve the lives of the people through pro-people policies and programmes.