The Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso faction of the New Nigeria People’s Party organized a parallel National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja to overturn his suspension.
The faction expelled Major Agbo, the newly appointed acting National Chairman, and several prominent members linked to Kwankwaso's punishment.
This move followed Kwankwaso's suspension by the party's Board of Trustees for alleged anti-party activities.
Kwankwaso's suspension and the appointment of new national officers, led by Major Agbo and acting National Secretary Ogini Olaposi, were decided during a previous NEC meeting in Lagos on Tuesday.
Before the NEC session, both Agbo and the party's founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, had already been suspended on August 24. However, they and other party loyalists contested the decision, arguing that the presidential candidate should be held accountable for suspicious activities.
The party's Board of Trustees accused Kwankwaso of holding undisclosed meetings with various figures, including President Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and Peter Obi from the Labour Party, without the board's authorization.
The board stated that Kwankwaso's secretive meetings led to his removal as the NNPP national leader.
The pre-election Memorandum of Understanding signed with various movements was considered void due to the actions of the NWC, as stated by the BoT.
Kwankwaso was suspended for six months pending an investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.
The National Auditor of the party, Ladipo Johnson, denounced Kwankwaso's suspension as illegitimate and denied any division within the party.
A statement from the NEC meeting in Abuja confirmed the expulsion of Agbo, adoption of a new party logo, and constitutional amendments.
Philip Ohinu, the North-Central Chairman of NNPP and an ally of Kwankwaso, rejected the notion of a faction within the party and asserted Kwankwaso's leadership.
Agbo maintained the suspension of Kwankwaso and the NWC while downplaying the party's crisis.
