By Emmanuel Oloniruha
New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately comply with various subsisting court judgments affirming the legitimacy of its leadership structure or face massive nationwide protests.
The party’s factional National Chairman, Mr Agbo Major, made the call at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja.
Major said that the briefing had become necessary to defend Nigeria’s democracy, the rule of law, and the integrity of the electoral system.
According to him, despite the clear judicial pronouncements, the top management of INEC has continued to accord recognition to the then Dr Ajuji Ahmed group and now the Bala Mohammed-led group, which he described as an expelled faction of the party.
He described the commission’s actions as a threat to democratic values.
Reviewing the legal battles that had engulfed NNPP over the last three-and-a-half years, Major explained that four separate judgments had progressively settled the leadership crisis.
He stated that after an initial Abuja court ruling that described the crisis as an internal affair, a subsequent judgment by an Abia High Court issued a definitive order reverting the party’s leadership to the Board of Trustees (BOT), led by Dr Boniface Aniebonam, with a mandate to activate all other party organs.
He added that following successful ward, local government and zonal congresses, an FCT High Court also affirmed the party’s processes.
Major noted that due to INEC’s prolonged delay in implementing the judgment, the faction secured a mandamus order directing the electoral umpire to upload the Major-led National Working Committee (NWC) within 72 hours and file an affidavit of compliance within 14 days.
“Furthermore, the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri upheld the Abia High Court judgment that it was improper for a judge to reverse his own judgment,” he said.
He expressed deep concern that, despite those lawful orders, INEC had failed to comply with them three months after the mandamus order was issued.
Major called on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to immediately comply with those court orders or resign his position.
Alleging bias, deliberate procrastination and an attempt to destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, Major warned that the faction would soon organise a nationwide protest if INEC failed to recognise his leadership immediately.
He said that a notice of appeal from the expelled group did not amount to a stay of execution and shouldn’t be honoured by a law-abiding regulatory body.
He noted that contempt proceedings (Forms 48 and 49) against the commission are ongoing and have been rescheduled for June 30.
Responding to questions on the timeline for the 2027 general elections, he stated that it had consistently submitted its schedule of activities, membership register and records of primaries to INEC through its counsel.
Major warned that if INEC continued to shut them out of official recognition, they would have no choice but to return to court to seek an abridgement of time or a complete shift of the general elections to ensure that their candidates were not unlawfully excluded.
The NNPP National Auditor, Olayinka Dada, also said that the party was not in coalition or alliance with any political party for the 2027 presidential election.
Dada said that NNPP, under the leadership of Major, would present a candidate for the presidential election as a credible alternative for citizens to choose from.
