NNPP National Chairman, Major Agbo, Escapes Assassination
The crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has taken another dimension, as the National Chairman of the party, Dr Major Agbo, loyal to the founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, escaped assassination attempt in his office in Abuja.
Recall that the NNPP has been engulfed in crisis, leading to the creation of two factions both claiming to be the rightful owners of the party.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Agbo said that he escaped the assassination attempt in the NNPP newly opened office, adding that the attempt was made on his life while he was in the office on Monday 16th August 2023.
Agbo said: “The most critical reason for this briefing today is to bring you to speed with an attempt made to assassinate me here in this office on Monday 16th August 2023. I walked in here at about 2.45pm and shortly after that two men walked in, ignoring the protocol advice from the desk boys in the front office.
“They walked in with weapons demanding to meet me, unknown to them they were talking to me. It was evident that they never knew me physically, infact my saving grace was that I was not seating on my chair. Pointing a short gun on me, they demanded that I produce ‘Major Agbo,’ who one of them claimed was his course mate at Command and Staff College, Jaji.
“I asked him if he would identify his course mate he was talking about if seen, he replied ‘yes.’ I then told them Major Agbo was not around. They speedily withdrew, ran into their ash-colored Toyota Corolla car parked by the express roadside (to aid escape) and sped away.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are all aware of the recent developments in the party as a result of attempts to hijack it by some ill adviced elements and political opportunists.
“Let me also confirm to you that I have received several threats through WhatsApp voice calls telling me I would pay with my life for standing on the way in their quest to take the party from its founder and its mother organisation – NAGAFF.
“They made real their threat on Monday but failed woefully as they could not identify me. The matter has been reported to the appropriate quarters for action.
“It is my sincere hope that you would lend your voices to this brazen attempt to take my life over what does not belong to them. It is my hope that you would let the whole world know that my life is presently in danger by usurpers who were not part of our party in its twenty two years of existence but only joined us last year.”
He further said: “You recall that the last time I interacted with you in August, I told you of series of anti party activities being perpetrated by the then ag National Chairman, Alh Abba Kawu Ali and ex National Secretary, Oladipupo Olayoku as well as the illegalities been perpetrated by the Prince Onu Nwaeze led Disciplinary Committee now disbanded.
“Recall that the media briefing of 28th August 2023 at the Rockview Hotel in Lagos did not only disband the then Abba Kawu Ali led NWC, it expelled Abba Kawu, Oladipupo Olayoku, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Buba Galadima and Bar Ladipo Johnson after they failed to appear before the Disciplinary Committee set up to hear them.
“The party since then has witnessed a series of changes including the setting up of the new NWC led by myself and a new BOT led by Chief Temitope Aluko. The party has also witnessed the relocation of its National Secretariat to Wuse Zone 4 where we are presently addressing you.
“We have also set up new Zonal structures in the six geopolitical zones with six new National Vice Chairmen already sworn in. States that were hitherto in comatose and some where the unfriendly posture of the Kwankwassiya group (who you all know came in to utilise the platform for the 2023 general election and have since left) created avoidable upheavals have also been reorganised.
“The exercise has seen the emergence of new leadership in states such as Adamawa, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno to mention but a few. It’s noteworthy to tell you that the family spirit that existed but was distorted by the Kwankwassiya group has since returned and those states are gradually now building up for 2027.”
