Ladipo Johnson, National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has dismissed recent remarks made by Abdullahi Ganduje, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), regarding alleged divisions within the NNPP.
Speaking on Politics HQ, a programme on News Central, Johnson declared that Ganduje’s words “hold no weight” and lashed aout at his understanding of political terminology.
“Well, the first thing I say is that Ganduje’s words are inconsequential,” Johnson said.
“Two, Ganduje needs to go and open the dictionary and learn the meaning of the word ‘factions’, or ‘faction’, or ‘factionalised’. He really needs to go and learn it. We don’t have a faction, we don’t have factions within the NNPP.”
Ganduje had claimed over the weekend that the NNPP has been plagued by “serious lacerations due to an intractable and untreatable factionalization.” But Johnson countered, saying those alleged factions were merely expelled individuals using outdated party materials.
“You have some people who are expelled, who carry the logo, an old logo that has been changed. The logo is not before INEC. INEC is clear as to who, or which person, or who the national chairman of the NNPP is.”
“They misled the court in Abia” Jonson
Johnson accused the expelled members of manipulating the legal system to gain a favorable court judgment.
“You see, these renegade group of people went to some corner of Abia state, got a default judgment,” he said.
“They served themselves. But they took before that court an old constitution. INEC was not there. We were not there.”
He added that a motion has been filed to set aside the ruling, with a decision expected in June.
“When you went to do that, did you tell the courts that, ‘oh, there’s a subsisting judgment of the federal high court that says we are no longer members?’ They didn’t say that,” Johnson continued.
“They went, they misled the court in Abia. I’ve forgotten the town. Some corner of Abia, not in the middle, or not at the city centre. And that is what they did.”
NNPP: “Obtained by fraud”
According to Johnson, the judgment was built on deception.
“So as far as we’re concerned, it was obtained by fraud, et cetera, et cetera. But are we disobeying it, pending the setting aside? The answer is no,” he clarified.
“We’re not disobeying it, because any ruling or order they got was regarding the old NNPP with the basket of fruits.”
He emphasized that the party has undergone a full transformation since April 2024.
“They forgot that in April 2024, the logo and colours and constitution of the NNPP had been changed to red and white, educational book, et cetera, et cetera.”
Johnson concluded his remarks with a final jab at Ganduje:
“For me, Ganduje is a non-starter.”
