A Kano State High Court has officially upheld the suspension of the state chairman of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Honourable Hashimu Suleiman Dungurawa. This ruling validates the disciplinary action taken by his Gargari Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area, marking a significant escalation in the internal conflicts within the Kwankwasiyya political circle.
Court Order and Legal Proceedings
In a decisive move, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf of High Court No. 13 granted an interlocutory injunction on Friday, restraining Dungurawa from presenting himself as the party's chairman in Kano. The order will remain in effect pending the hearing and final determination of a substantive motion.
The legal action was initiated through a motion ex parte filed on 30 December 2025 by a group of ten party members from Gargari Ward, led by Shuaibu Hassan. Their legal representatives, K. Njidda Esq. and S. A. Muhammad Esq., argued that Dungurawa's suspension followed due process under the NNPP constitution.
The court, in Suit No. KN/1218/2026, explicitly ordered that "the suspension of the 1st respondent effected on 30 December 2025 shall be maintained" until the main motion is resolved. All parties have been instructed to maintain the status quo as of that date, and the case has been adjourned to 19 January 2026 for a full hearing.
Allegations and Immediate Aftermath
The plaintiffs based their case on several serious allegations against the suspended chairman. They accused Dungurawa of:
- Denigrating the office and person of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
- Creating division and factionalism within the party's ranks.
- Failing to fulfil his financial obligations by not paying party dues.
In swift response to the court's decision, the NNPP State Executive Council in Kano convened an emergency meeting. They ratified the nomination of Honourable Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as the new Acting State Chairman. Barrister Yusuf Mukhtar, the party's Assistant Legal Adviser, announced that this appointment was made in strict compliance with the NNPP Constitution.
National Party's Stance and Root of the Crisis
This local action has triggered a sharp rebuke from the party's national leadership. The National Working Committee (NWC), through its National Publicity Secretary Bamofin Ladipo Johnson, issued a strong statement condemning the suspension.
The NWC described the ward executives' action as "misplaced, undemocratic, null, void and of no effect whatsoever." Johnson praised Dungurawa as a "conscientious, hardworking, and dutiful chairman" and labelled the suspension a gross anti-party activity that violates the constitution.
The crisis stems from Dungurawa's public statements regarding rumours of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's potential defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Dungurawa had distanced the party's national leader, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from the move, calling it a "height of betrayal of trust." While appealing to the governor to reconsider, he also cautioned party structures against endorsing any political realignment with the ruling APC.
The situation presents a clear rift between the NNPP's grassroots structure in Kano and its national headquarters, setting the stage for a protracted legal and political battle that could reshape the party's future in its key stronghold.
