The think tank members of the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) of Ebonyi State Chapter had met to brainstorm on how to make their party an eye of cynosure in state politics.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after their meeting at the NNPP office in Abakaliki, the State Chairman, Hon Solomon Chukwu, said the gathering was a true foundation of the party towards accomplishing the objectives of the party in the next electioneering voyage.
Chukwu noted that the party's critical stakeholders were all in attendance and expressed optimism that their collective efforts would bring the party a fortune in 2027 when another general election would be held in the State.
"We came together as the critical stakeholders of the NNPP in Ebonyi to brainstorm on how to move our party to take over the leadership of our state and Nigeria at large," Chukwu said.
Reacting to the strength and harmony of the NNPP members in Ebonyi, the Chairman said the party is intact in the state.
He disclosed that the 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the party in State, Prophet Chris Adol Awam had defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC a few days ago.
Chukwu insisted that the defection of Adol Awam from the NNPP to the APC has no bad effect on their party, saying "Adol Awam's presence in the NNPP made our party not getting any vote during the 2023 general elections, especially in the gubernatorial poll.
"Since Adol Awam left our party, the well-meaning Ebonyians have been coming to become members of the NNPP. Our door as a party is open to welcome new members because we don't discriminate and the party structure from the state to ward level is intact. Adol Awam was only left alone by the APC, his claim that he joined APC with 2,000 NNPP members is a big falsehood.
"How can Adol Awam claim that he left from the NNPP to APC with over 2,000 supporters, when during the elections he scored only 2 votes in his polling unit and less than 400 votes in the whole state, did he manufacture the 2,000 supporters?"
On his part, the NNPP Senatorial Candidate for Ebonyi South District during the 2023 general elections, Hon Leo Ogbonnaya, described the critical stakeholders' meeting as the birth of the real NNPP foundation in the state.
Hon Ogbonnaya said the NNPP's critical stakeholders are determined to move the party forward and would not begin chasing shadows just because of the defection of the former leader of the party in the state, Adol Awam.
He maintained that those who defected from the NNPP to another party were the enemies of the party in the state. He, however, commended all the stakeholders of the NNPP who have continued to contribute towards the success of the party in the state.
Speaking on the fate of the NNPP faithful in the present administration, the former Senatorial Candidate said they would be contributions to the leadership and development of the State if Governor Francis Nwifuru could form a unity government.
He said the NNPP as a party would always contribute its quota to ensure the government on board initiate novelty in peaceful building, human capacity building and other aspects of development both at the state and national levels.
Ogbonnaya advised the committed members of the NNPP in the State not to think that their party had failed but to remain steadfast in the pursuit of the party's goals till the next elections when their efforts would be crowned with success by God Almighty.
Other stakeholders including the former NNPP Senatorial Candidate for Ebonyi North District, Hon Ambros Nwokoro and his counterpart of Ebonyi Central District, Hon Benjis Otubo expressed their readiness to restructure their party ahead of the 2027 general elections in the State.
The duo described the NNPP as the only political party which would take over leadership of Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large in 2027, stressing that the nation needed to be renewed in every sector.
Also, the Coordinator of Senator Rabi'u Kwankwaso Presidential Campaign Committee, Hon James Nwite and other critical stakeholders of the NNPP in Ebonyi expressed positiveness that with the current love and understanding of the party canals in the state, their expectations would be realisable in 2027.
