A Kano State High Court has affirmed the appointment of Hon. Abdullahi Zubairu Abiya as the Acting State Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano State.
The court also upheld the suspension of the former state chairman, Hashimu Dungurawa, and barred him from interfering in the affairs of the party pending the determination of the substantive suit before it.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, the court ordered all parties involved in the dispute to maintain the status quo and expressly restrained Dungurawa from parading himself as NNPP chairman or taking any action capable of disrupting the party’s activities in the state.
The judge further directed that Dungurawa must desist from interfering in the party’s administration until the case is heard and finally determined.
The court fixed January 19 for the hearing of the suit instituted by the NNPP Dawakin Tofa Local Government Executive Committee against Dungurawa.
The suit arose from a legal challenge to Dungurawa’s continued claim to the chairmanship position following his suspension by the party’s state executive committee.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Executive Committee of the NNPP, at an emergency meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Kano, formally confirmed Abiya as the Acting State Chairman.
The party leadership said the decision followed Dungurawa’s removal from office and was intended to ensure stability and continuity in the party’s administration in the state.
Dungurawa, who is widely regarded as a loyalist of the party’s national leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has yet to publicly respond to the court’s ruling.
However, party insiders believe the judgment has temporarily resolved the leadership dispute, pending the final determination of the substantive suit.
With the court’s confirmation now on record, Abiya is expected to oversee the party’s affairs in Kano State until a final judicial resolution is reached on the chairmanship tussle.
