A lawyer and politician, Chief Ladipo Johnson is the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). In this interview with Saturday Telegraph’s OLAOLU OLADIPO, Johnson talked about Kano Governor Kabir Abba Yusuf’s impending defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He also revealed efforts being made to mitigate the impact of his impending exit from the party. Excerpts:
Rumours have been flying around about a possible rift between the only elected governor on the platform of the NNPP and the leadership of the party. As the National Publicity Secretary of the party, can you please tell us what is going on?
Understandably, rumours would be flying around the polity and across the nation at this time and period because it is increasingly clear to the people that the party is taking cogent steps to strengthen its base and reposition itself to an election-winning machine before 2027 General Elections.
These steps have been going on across the states for quite some time now. As a party being managed by competent hands, I must say that at this time, we are more coherently focused on meeting up this goal.
With respect to the issue of Kano State which you are seeking some clarification on, the Governor, I mean, Engr. Kabir Yusuf, has not indicated to us his desire to leave the party contrary to what is being said in some sections of the media space.
It must also be stated that he (the governor) attended the National Executive Committee meeting of the party that we had about two weeks ago and he participated actively in the discussions that took place in the meeting.
I can say that there is no conflict at the National level of the party. We are all working hard towards strengthening the party. In this sort of process, some people will want to go South while some other people will like to go North. Some people will like to go West while some others would like to go East.
As such, it is a process that must be properly managed by all stakeholders within the party, especially by members at the National Working Committee and the National Executive Council. We are doing our best to manage the situation. We trust that all will be well at the end of the day.
Can you explain the recent sacking of some executive members of the party in the Kano State chapter of the party, which is now generating tension within and outside the state?
What happened recently in Kano State was that some wayward and recalcitrant members from the same ward where the state chairman, Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, came from felt that they could embarrass him by purportedly suspending him from the party without any cogent reason for doing so.
Their action has no basis in the Constitution of the NNPP and we told them before acting decisively. The National Working Committee has since stated that the move is null and void ab initio.
To affirm its authority, the NWC as a body incharge of managing the party further affirmed that Alhaji Dungurawa remains the chairman of the NNPP in Kano State considering the fact that his term of office still subsists
From the look of things, is it possible for the two camps to come together as a whole or can we simply say that the governor and his leader, Engr. Kwankwaso, have drifted apart irretrievably?
Frankly speaking, I don’t believe that the differences between the two are irreversible or as you said, the differences are irretrievable.
I believe and I can see that all sides of the divide are still respectful of each other. What is happening is that there is a difference in terms of policy and strategy as we move towards 2027.
The governor and some of his people believe that it is strategically better for them to go to the APC and Senator Kwankwaso and his group who are in the majority in the party and the caucus believe that it’s best to stay within the NNPP whilst they are still negotiating or talking to different political parties and groups.
That is the current situation within the party as we speak. For me, the differences are not in anyway irretrievable.
From the position of hindsight and as an insider within the party, what would adduce as the reason for this schism within the NNPP?
I believe that what caused the schism is the fact that Senator Kwankwaso as the national leader of the party is conducting his discussions with various people and organisations, political parties and interest groups but the Kano State governor is in a hurry and doesn’t want to wait, as stated by his aides because personally, he hasn’t told us anything about his supposed impending defection from the party.
Perhaps, the governor believes that it is best for him or in his interest to join the APC and then seek a second term on the platform of the APC. So, that is what has caused the schism.
Nothing else has caused it because I don’t think there is any kind of bad blood or animosity between them. What is happening is basically that the governor believes his interest is better served in the APC and not in our party come 2027. I think that’s why his aides said he wants to move to the APC but he himself has not told us anything.
Have there been efforts by stakeholders or mutual associates to wade in and bring the two of them together?
I am sure that there have been efforts in some quarters by some mutual friends and confidants of the two to wade in and settle the differences but I have to admit that I haven’t been involved in such moves. I am sure that there have been some on going efforts or moves to bring the two together on the same page.
Since the news broke, what has been the relationship between the National Secretariat and the Kano state chapter?
Unfortunately, it would seem that some people in the Kano State chapter of the party had decided ab initio to be antagonistic to us at the National Working Committee of the party.
That notwithstanding, we (National Working Committee) have been trying to maintain the necessary delicate balance within the ranks of the party. That is why we had to dissolve the Kano State Executive Committee down to the wards.
This notwithstanding, we are in touch with the majority of members of the party in Kano State. Unfortunately for us, we have some members who have decided that they must leave the party, whatever such would cost them.
Will the exit, if it happens, of Governor Yusuf affect the fortune of the party in Kano State?
Not necessarily, it won’t. I concede that yes, we will feel the impact of the exit within our ranks being the only elected governor in our party, but I believe that with the bridges that we are building as a party as well as the repositioning efforts being carried out within the party that in the end we will be in a stronger position to stand firm by God’s grace.
Overall, I don’t believe that it would affect us so much negatively. Rather, it would make us work extra harder and get the kind of positive result that we want.
Finally, what are the efforts being made at the national level to ensure that the crisis is limited to Kano State and not snowball into other states?
We took internal steps immediately it occurred but the good thing is that it hasn’t spread to other chapters. It hasn’t gone beyond Kano State.
Even in Kano, it’s relatively contained and the situation is okay except for the fact that those in government, I mean the executive and the legislative arm of government, are affected, which is quite natural as a whole lot of them are ready to move with the governor, which is understandable.
But a majority of the membership inside and outside Kano State have remained with us and they have also remained steadfast. I can tell you that together, we will make the necessary moves that we need to make to reposition the party not only in Kano State but across the country. We will reposition the NNPP well in time for the 2027 general election.
