2027: NNPP rules out automatic ticket

• … says Kwankwaso experience was a lesson

By Jude Opara

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has declared that it will adopt a more rigorous process in selecting its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, saying it will not repeat what it described as the mistakes made during the emergence of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the party’s 2023 flag bearer.
The party’s founder and Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Boniface Aniebonam, said the NNPP’s eventual presidential candidate would not receive an automatic ticket but would undergo a comprehensive screening process to assess competence, competitiveness and loyalty to the party.
Aniebonam disclosed that the party already has three presidential aspirants who will be screened before one is eventually adopted to replace the placeholder candidate recently uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal in compliance with electoral guidelines.
He attributed delays in the party’s preparations for the 2027 elections to prolonged legal disputes, which he said were triggered by attempts by Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya movement to take control of the party.
According to him, the internal crisis also contributed to the defection of some NNPP members to other political parties.
Despite the challenges, Aniebonam expressed confidence that the party remained on course and that its candidates would perform strongly in future elections.
He said the NNPP’s National Executive Committee would soon convene an emergency meeting to determine timelines for its conventions, approve reduced nomination fees for certain categories of aspirants and ratify proposed legal action against INEC over alleged non-compliance with court judgments.
The party leader criticised the electoral commission for what he described as its failure to promptly obey court orders, saying the NNPP would seek legal redress and damages at the Federal High Court.
Aniebonam also appealed to former members who left during the party’s internal crisis to return, assuring them of a transparent and level playing field.
He added that the party would continue to grant concessions to female aspirants and persons with disabilities while remaining open to political alliances with parties that share similar ideological principles.
Reaffirming the party’s position on Kwankwaso, Aniebonam accused the former presidential candidate of betraying the NNPP but expressed gratitude that, according to him, efforts to take over the party were unsuccessful.