The leadership crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party took a fresh turn on Wednesday as the party threatened to drag the Independent National Electoral Commission and the administration of Bola Tinubu to court over alleged refusal to obey valid court judgments.
The party accused INEC of deliberately failing to implement several court rulings concerning the ongoing dispute over the authentic leadership of the NNPP.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting in Abuja, the party’s Secretary General, Mr. Ogini Olaposi, said the NNPP had exhausted peaceful and legal means in seeking compliance from the electoral commission.
According to him, the meeting involved some party executives, their lawyer, Segun Fiki, and officials of INEC. He said the engagement, however, ended without any clear resolution.
Olaposi explained that the NNPP delegation submitted copies of judgments from different courts, including rulings from the Abia State High Court, the FCT High Court and the Owerri Division of the Court of Appeal, all of which he claimed recognised the leadership structure headed by Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and Dr. Agbo Major.
He maintained that the judgments affirmed Aniebonam as the Founder and Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, while Agbo Major was recognised as Chairman of the National Working Committee.
The NNPP official alleged that despite a court order compelling INEC to update its records and file compliance documents within 72 hours, the commission had failed to act.
He further claimed that the Court of Appeal in Owerri also issued directives reinforcing the earlier judgments, but INEC had yet to comply.
Olaposi said the party was disturbed that the electoral body could ignore valid court pronouncements while preparations for the 2027 general elections were already gathering momentum.
According to him, the INEC Chairman did not provide any convincing explanation during the meeting and only told the delegation that the party would “hear from the commission.”
He said the response raised concerns about whether the electoral body intended to obey the court decisions at all.
“The implication is that nobody knows when the commission will act despite clear judgments before it,” he said.
The NNPP warned that it would not fold its arms while institutions allegedly disregard the rule of law.
Olaposi stated that the party was now considering further legal options, including actions that could affect electoral timelines if necessary to protect the party’s participation in future elections.
The party also called on President Tinubu, the National Assembly, the judiciary and security agencies to intervene and ensure respect for court decisions.
He insisted that no government institution should place itself above the law.
The NNPP added that it remains committed to pursuing its grievances through constitutional and lawful means.
