NNPP Crisis: Kano SSG, commissioner suspended as reconciliation holds

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) announced the suspension of Kano State’s Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, and the Commissioner of Transportation, Muhammad Diggol.

The suspension of the two key figures of the Kwankwasiyya movement comes amid a reconciliation move by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to quench the brewing crisis already dividing the party.

NNPP State Chairman, Dr Hashim Sulaiman Dungurawa, who confirmed the suspension to The Guardian on the telephone, said it followed acts of disloyalty, abuse of power, and creation of chaos in the party.

“We are announcing today that we have suspended the SSG Abdullahi Baffa Bichi and the Commissioner of Transportation, Muhammad Diggol, over abuse of power, office, and disloyalty to the party.

“We commend the leadership of the party from their wards and the Local Government, who confirmed to us. They are all from Bichi North, where they all came from, for bringing the issue to us in writing. In our capacity as leaders of the party, we sat and considered that this is the best decision to take until we are done investigating the issue,” Dungurawa said.

Earlier, the SSG had dissociated himself from the splinter group known as “Abba Tsaya Da Kafarka,” which literally means “Governor Abba should stand on his feet,” against interference from Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

The group, alleged to be founded by the SSG, has claimed that the governor is becoming just a mere governor without control over his administration.

Meanwhile, Governor Yusuf brokered peace and successfully reconciled the crisis between the SSG and members of his constituency.

The meeting, held behind closed doors at the governor’s office on Monday evening, may eventually put to rest the lingering crisis rocking the internal structure of the party.

A statement by Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the governor’s spokesperson, disclosed that key figures involved in the reconciliation include the SSG and Bichi Local Government chairmanship aspirant, Hon. Hamza Maifata.

Addressing journalists at the closed-door meeting, the SSG, Bichi, accepted the intervention of Governor Yusuf and promised to resolve his differences with the factional group in his Bichi constituency, including groups claiming to be his critics.

Dr. Bichi subsequently dissociated himself from the deviant group (Abba Tsaya da Kafarka) calling for division between the Governor and the party’s national leader, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

He said, “I have since submitted myself and all my activities to Governor Abba Yusuf as our leader and accepted all that he wanted. I am ready to abide by it. Of the factional group they are talking about, I have nothing to do with them.

“If it were 1 to 10 campaign initiative, everyone knows I am behind it. I have offices in all the 19 northern states, but that is for the presidential campaign and the governor is a presidential aspirant.”

On the issue of reconciliation, he said, “The governor has already intervened and everything is over. We are all his loyalists, and we are ready to abide by whatever he wants.”

On his part, Maifata, Chairmanship candidate of the NNPP in Bichi Local Government, also expressed commitment to embrace peace and settle discord with the SSG.

“We have sat today with the Governor, SSG, and other stakeholders, and we have voiced our grievances, which we later came to understand were just being peddled by rumour mongers and enemies of the party.

“We have now forgiven each other and embraced peace. We will now work together like we used to, and this reconciliation brokered by the governor has put it out permanently.

“And I want to promise the governor, our party leaders, and other stakeholders, including the leadership of the House of Assembly, especially the Speaker, that everything has been put behind bars. I appreciate the intervention of the Governor and all those who brought the matter up for reconciliation,” Maifata said.

The meeting was held at the instance of the Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jibrin Ismail Falgore, alongside the leadership of the House who prevailed on the governor to intervene to prevent the crisis from escalating.