A Kano State High Court has delivered a significant ruling in the ongoing internal crisis of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), specifically affecting its Kwankwasiyya faction. The court has overturned the recent dissolution of the party's executive councils across Kano State, dealing a blow to the party's national leadership and affirming the position of the acting state chairman, Abdullahi Abiya.
Court Order Restrains National Working Committee
On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court granted an ex parte order that invalidates the dissolution directive issued by the NNPP's National Working Committee (NWC). The NWC had, the previous week, announced the dissolution of all party structures at the state, local government, and ward levels in Kano.
This drastic move followed the suspension of the state chairman, Hon. Hashim Dungurawa, and his subsequent replacement by Abdullahi Abiya in an acting capacity. However, the court's interim injunction now restrains the NNPP NWC from taking any further steps concerning the party's leadership in Kano until a substantive motion is heard.
Details of the Legal Suit and Injunction
The suit, marked No. K/06/2026, was filed by Abdullahi Zubairu Imam and five others. They instituted the case on behalf of the NNPP executive committees in all 44 local government areas of Kano State, naming the New Nigerian Peoples Party as the defendant.
In his ruling, Justice Saminu directed all parties to maintain the status quo ante as of December 30, 2025. This date is crucial as it precedes the NWC's dissolution order. The court's order explicitly prohibits the party's national body from appointing caretaker committees or altering the leadership structure pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The court also granted the plaintiffs permission to serve the party at its national secretariat in Abuja, located at 11 Mahatma Gandhi Street, Area 11, Garki. The court registrar, Abba Sa'ad, signed the order, and the case has been adjourned to February 10, 2026, for mention.
Roots of the Crisis: Defection Plans and Suspension
The current legal battle stems from a deep-seated political disagreement. The crisis erupted when the then-state chairman, Hashim Dungurawa, publicly distanced the NNPP and its influential founder, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, from rumors that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf planned to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dungurawa labeled such a move a "sheer act of betrayal of trust" and warned party structures against endorsing any political realignment with the APC. Shortly after these remarks, a suspension notice was issued against Dungurawa from his Gargari Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.
The suspension accused him of:
- Instigating crisis and division within the party.
- Denigrating the person and office of Governor Yusuf.
- Failure to pay party dues.
In a swift turn of events, less than 24 hours after the suspension, the NNPP State Executive Council held an emergency meeting at the party's Kano secretariat. There, they affirmed the nomination of Hon. Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as the Acting State Chairman. Barrister Yusuf Mukhtar, the party's Assistant Legal Adviser, announced the decision, stating it was in line with the NNPP constitution.
The court's latest intervention has now frozen these rapid political maneuvers, setting the stage for a protracted legal and political showdown that will determine the control of the NNPP's vital Kano structure.
