NNPP Crisis Deepens as Court Affirms Agbo Major Leadership, Orders INEC to Comply Within 48 Hours

NNPP Crisis Deepens as Court Affirms Agbo Major Leadership, Orders INEC to Comply Within 48 Hours

By Frank Odinukaeze

The leadership crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has taken a decisive turn as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja issued fresh orders reaffirming Dr. Agbo Gilbert Major as the authentic national chairman of the party.
In two separate rulings delivered on 25 and 27 November 2025, Justice Bello Kawu of High Court No. 14, Apo, restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising or interacting with any faction other than the Agbo Major–led leadership. The court granted the NNPP leave to apply for judicial review by way of mandamus, noting that the leave shall operate as a stay of any contrary action by INEC pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Justice Kawu further ordered an accelerated hearing of the case and abridged timelines for filing processes, with the matter fixed for 10 December 2025.
In a subsequent ruling, the court authorised substituted service on 16 respondents — including Dr. Ajuju Ahmed, Hon. Abba Kawu Ali, Prince Nwaeze Onu, Hon. Aladipo Alayokun, Ladipo Johnson, Arc. Mohammed Abacha, and Mustapha Alkassim — while reaffirming that INEC must not monitor or participate in any congress or convention organised by the factional group.
Following the orders, the NNPP’s legal team wrote formally to the newly appointed INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, notifying the Commission of the binding court directives. In the letter dated 26 November 2025, the party reminded INEC that multiple judgments — including those of the High Court of Abia State (HUZ/11/2024) and the FCT High Court (FCT/HC/CV/5518/2024) — had already validated the national convention that produced Dr. Agbo Major and dismissed attempts by the Ahmed-led faction to seize control of the party.
The NNPP alleged that despite these judgments, INEC had previously engaged with individuals who “have no authority, standing or legal relationship” with the party, citing an “unauthorised and illegal” letter of 31 October 2025 purportedly sent to the Commission by members of the rival faction.
The party warned that any further engagement with the factional group would amount to wilful disobedience of court orders and a violation of Section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution. It also cited the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu, noting that no public authority is permitted to place itself above judicial orders or attempt to foist a fait accompli on the courts.
Justice Kawu’s latest directives categorically bar INEC from uploading, publishing, or recognising any party document, logo, or communication originating from the factional group. The NNPP was ordered to serve all processes within five days, while the respondents were given five days to file counter-affidavits. The party may reply within three days thereafter.
In an accompanying statement, NNPP Secretary General, Comrade Oginni Olaposi Sunday, stressed that INEC must, as a matter of urgency, upload the names of the Dr. Agbo Major Gilbert and Comrade Oginni-led National Working Committee (NWC) to its official website and restore the party’s original logo and colours within 48 hours of receiving the enrollment order.
He added that “there should not be any vacuum in governance,” noting that the administrative machinery of the party must remain active ahead of the next adjourned date of 10 December 2025.
The latest court orders mark another chapter in the protracted leadership tussle that has gripped the NNPP since 2023, with multiple cases still pending across various jurisdictions.