The interim leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has insisted that the nominations of Nabil Sarki Aliyu Daneji for Kano Municipal and Saadu Aminu Saadu for Ungogo state constituencies remain valid for the February 21 by-election into the Kano State House of Assembly.

The party said the names of the two candidates had been duly forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacancies created by the deaths of two serving lawmakers.

The NNPP was reacting to a statement by the spokesman to Kano State Governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, who had claimed that the emergence of multiple candidates from different NNPP factions for the by-election vindicated Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party had earlier presented tickets to the sons of the deceased lawmakers to contest the by-election. However, it said some factional leaders, including Senator Mas’ud Jibrin Doguwa, had presented different candidates to INEC.

In a statement, the NNPP interim publicity secretary, Engr. Ibrahim Karaye, maintained that the nominations of Aliyu Daneji and Aminu Saadu for Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies, respectively, were legitimate.

He said the party dissociated itself from individuals parading themselves as factional chairmen, noting that many of them were either former members whose memberships had been terminated or dissolved, or individuals who had never been members of the party.

Karaye insisted that the NNPP remains under the leadership of Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Maikano as acting chairman, adding that Senator Mas’ud Doguwa had never been a member of the party.

He also said that Hon. Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya’s claim to the chairmanship became invalid following the dissolution of the Dungurawa-led executives by the party’s National Working Committee.

The NNPP spokesman urged Bature Dawakin Tofa to focus on his official responsibilities and advised the Kano State Government to prioritise policies and programmes that benefit the general public, rather than what he described as attempts to justify actions perceived as a betrayal of the party and its leadership.