By Yunusa Isa, Gombe
The leadership and stakeholders of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Ɓilliri Local Government Area of Gombe State, have unanimously throw their weight behind the leadership of the state party chairman Hon. Barrister Rambi Ibrahim Ayala, expressing confidence in his leadership style.
The support was contained in a communique read by the party’s Zonal Secretary Billy Garba Tal, following an enlarged local government party executive and stakeholders meeting in Ɓilliri.
While recognizing the tireless efforts of Barrister Rambi in repositioning NNPP in the state, the Ɓilliri party executive said “Some political contractors alien to NNPP in this local government, masquerading themselves as members of our great party in Billiri who are doing the bidding of their pay masters in the opposition parties, have gone to issue a contemptuous and libelous press statement in a failed attempt to disparage and drag into the mud, the image of the state party chairman”.
“These political contractors in their desperation, ended up committing perjury by forging innocent people’s signatures, we therefore called on security agencies to immediately investigate and prosecute Ambrose Ismaila Mairungu, Amatiga Naboth and Amuga Barde for this heinous criminal act”, the communique demanded.
It added that on February 26, 2024, the party in Ɓilliri has suspended Ismaila Mairungu for antiparty activities, embezzlement and gross misconduct.
“In keeping with article 30 of our party constitution, he was referred to a disciplinary committee for further action. Sadly he failed to avail himself before the committee. The party therefore is left with no option than to outrightly expel him and his co-travelers forthwith, the communique justified.
It could be recalled that Amatiga Naboth and co, had during a press briefing recently in Gombe, passed a vote of no confidence on Rambi, accusing him of imposing new NNPP leadership in Ɓilliri, calling on the national party executive to do the needful.
However, the meeting firmly recognized the new Ɓilliri NNPP leadership under Hon. Yila Dankuka and his 10 ward executive, describing them as new compass to pilot NNPP to greatness in the local government.
In another development, the communique called on the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission (GOSIEC) to conduct a free and fair local government councils election, maintaining that such will further strengthen democracy in the state and Nigeria.
In their respective goodwill messages, the convener of the party in Ɓilliri Elder Victor Iliya, the NNPP chairmanship candidate Rose Simon, the party elder Mr Kasina Elsa and the NNPP State Public Relations Officer (PRO) Terry Ibrahim Yusuf, said the purported NNPP stakeholders lacked courage and patriotism of Ɓilliri and its people, by holding the said press briefing in Gombe.
They said some members of the said NNPP stakeholders were neither indigenes of Ɓilliri Local Government nor Gombe State, hence, lack powers to decide on anything for Ɓilliri people at whatever capacity.
The stakeholders added that the new NNPP leadership in Ɓilliri emerged through a constitutionally recognized process.
Speaking on behalf of the 10 NNPP ward chairmen in Ɓilliri, the Tudu-Kwaya Ward Chairman Yusuf Ayayyafa, said they remained law abiding party members, as they recognized, and were loyal to Mairungu when he served as acting local government party chairman, but with the new leadership in place, they shifted their loyalty to the constitutionally recognized leadership of Hon. Yila Dankuka as bona fide NNPP chairman in the local government area.
Earlier speaking, Yila Dankuka and his deputy Hon. Nathan Kalfado, said Samaila Mairungu and co, were given the opportunity to retract their position and apologize to NNPP, but decided to take the other way round.
While calling on the ward chairmen to brace up in registration of new members into NNPP, the leaders warned them against re-registering any of the expelled members into the party’s folds.
The enlarged Ɓilliri NNPP meeting, had the 10 ward and local government executive and stakeholders in attendance.