…Rejects Restrictions on Political Movement

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Bala Yunusa Mohammed, has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly orchestrating crises within opposition political parties as part of moves to weaken democratic competition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Mohammed said the wave of internal crises rocking opposition parties, including the NNPP, Labour Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), points to what he described as deliberate attempts to create a one-party state in Nigeria.

According to him, although the APC appears relatively stable publicly, the ruling party also has internal disagreements, which it is managing quietly.

“As you rightly observed, many opposition parties are experiencing internal crises. The only party that appears not to have open crises is the ruling party, although they also have their own internal issues which they are trying to manage quietly,” he said.

Mohammed alleged that obstacles were being deliberately placed before opposition parties to prevent them from competing effectively in the political space, but maintained that despite the challenges, opposition parties would still participate actively in the 2027 elections.

“By the grace of God, many of them will field candidates to contest against the ruling party in 2027,” he stated.

On preparations for the 2027 elections, the NNPP chairman disclosed that aspirants for various elective offices, including governorship, Senate, House of Representatives, and state assembly seats, had already purchased nomination forms from the party.

He noted that sales of forms were still ongoing and expected more aspirants to obtain forms before the deadline.

Commenting on the political situation in Kano State following the exit of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the defection of the state governor to the APC, Mohammed admitted that the NNPP had lost many loyalists and political structures in the state.

“The reality is that many of our candidates, loyalists, and party members moved with him,” he said.

He explained that the party was still consulting with stakeholders to determine whether it would field candidates in Kano, stressing that many former NNPP members who moved to other parties still retained strong emotional ties with the NNPP.

On the mode of selecting candidates for the elections, Mohammed said the party was considering adopting consensus arrangements due to financial and organisational constraints occasioned by defections.

He, however, added that the party would conduct direct primaries where consensus could not be achieved among aspirants, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The NNPP chairman also criticised provisions of the Electoral Act which he said restrict political movement, arguing that politicians dissatisfied with the outcomes of party primaries should be allowed to defect to other parties and contest elections freely.

“We are also concerned about aspects of the Electoral Act that restrict political movement. If someone is dissatisfied with one party after the registration process, that person should have the freedom to move to another party and contest elections,” he said.

Mohammed described such restrictions as a sign of desperation by the ruling party, claiming that many aspirants who lose party primaries would ordinarily defect to alternative platforms to pursue their ambitions.

The NNPP chairman further called on the APC-led Federal Government to guarantee free, fair, and credible elections in 2027, insisting that Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their leaders.

“What we are seeing today in the ruling party is largely imposition. People are not being allowed to freely choose their leaders,” he alleged.

Assessing the performance of the APC administration over the past three years, Mohammed painted a grim picture of the nation’s economy and security situation.

According to him, Nigerians are facing severe economic hardship, high fuel prices, rising insecurity, unemployment, and a worsening cost of living.

“In the last three years, many critical sectors have continued to struggle — employment, healthcare, security, and the economy generally,” he said.

He also expressed concerns over the new tax laws, warning that many Nigerians feared the policies could further worsen economic hardship when fully implemented.

Mohammed maintained that Nigerians deserved better governance, improved security, and economic relief, expressing confidence that opposition parties would unite to provide a credible alternative in the 2027 elections.