Nigeria: NNPP Crisis - High Court Bars Dungurawa From Party Affairs

3 January 2026

The Kano State High Court has affirmed Hon. Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as acting state chairman of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) in the state, while upholding the suspension of the former chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa.

The court also restrained Dungurawa from parading himself as the NNPP state chairman or interfering in the affairs of the party pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Justice Zuwaira Yusuf of High Court No. 13, Miller Road, Kano, gave the ruling in an interim order following a motion ex-parte dated December 30, 2025. The application was filed by members of the NNPP from Gargari Ward in Dawakin Tofa local government area over the lingering leadership crisis in the party.

In the ruling, the court upheld the disciplinary process that led to Dungurawa's suspension by his ward executive, which was based on allegations of denigrating the office and person of Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, creating division within the party and failure to pay party dues.

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The suit, marked KN/1218/2026, was instituted by Abdullahi Uban-Iya, Shuaibu Hassan and Auwal Abubakar on behalf of the Local Government Executive Committee of the NNPP.

Justice Yusuf ordered that the suspension of the former chairman effected on December 30, 2025 be maintained and directed that all court processes be duly served on the respondents.

The court further ordered all parties to maintain the status quo ante as it existed after December 30, 2025 pending the hearing and determination of the substantive motion.

The court fixed January 19 for the hearing of the substantive case filed against Dungurawa.

The ruling effectively preserves the current leadership arrangement within the NNPP in Kano State until the final determination of the case.

Meanwhile, the NNPP State Executive Committee has endorsed the emergence of Hon. Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as acting state chairman following the suspension of Dungurawa.

The endorsement was made during an emergency meeting of the party's state executive committee held at the NNPP secretariat in Kano.

Announcing the decision, the party's assistant legal adviser, Barrister Mukhtar, said Abiya's emergence was in line with provisions of the NNPP Constitution and had now been affirmed by the court through the interim order. He added that the party would continue to abide by the rule of law as the case progresses.

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