The ongoing leadership problems within the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has been identified as the primary reason for the recent exodus of party members from Nasarawa State.
This revelation came from a committee established by the party’s state chapter to probe the recent departure of a lawmaker from the state House of Assembly.
In August, Mr. Mohammed Garba Isimbabi, who represents the Toto/Gadabuke constituency, formally announced his switch to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during a session of the House. In his resignation letter, he cited the internal divisions within the NNPP at the national level as his main motivation for leaving.
Following Isimbabi’s departure, another NNPP representative, Mr. Musa Ibrahim Abubakar from the Doma South constituency, also left the party, attributing his decision to the same national crisis.
Addressing the media in Lafia on Monday, Isimbabi expressed that the committee’s findings vindicated his choice to defect to the APC. The report, submitted on Saturday, September 21st, highlighted that the national-level discord has severely hindered the party’s ability to effectively organize its members and fulfill its responsibilities.
The committee noted, “Our investigation concludes that a division significant enough to justify a defection renders a political party incapable of functioning properly, particularly when it directly impacts the individual involved. We have found evidence of such divisions at the national level of the NNPP, validating the member’s decision to defect.”
Isimbabi commended the committee for conducting a thorough and unbiased investigation in line with legal provisions regarding defections.
He clarified that he officially resigned from the NNPP on August 21, 2024, after consulting with various stakeholders and constituents.
“I submitted my resignation letter to NNPP on August 21, 2024, and a week later, I publicly declared my resignation during a House session, where the House leader, Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, read my resignation letter,” he explained.
“My departure from the NNPP was prompted by the national-level discord, characterized by two competing leadership factions and multiple pending court cases,” he concluded.
