The crisis rocking the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, further escalated on Thursday as factional chairman, Major Agbo, raised the alarm over a plot to assassinate him.
The NNPP is currently divided into two factions – the Agbo-led group comprising the original members of the party, and the camp loyal to Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who became the presidential candidate after joining just before the 2023 general elections.
The Agbo camp, which expelled Kwankwaso after accusing him of trying to hijack the party, says it has nullified the agreement that allowed Kwankwaso’s group, known as Kwankwasiya, to join the NNPP.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Agbo alleged that his life is in danger.
The NNPP factional leader alleged that ‘political opportunists trying to hijack the party’s leadership’ sent assassins to eliminate him in his office on Monday.
Agbo narrated that two armed men stormed his office at Wuse Zone 4 in an attempt to assassinate him.
He disclosed that he escaped death because the alleged assasins were unable to identify him when they invaded the secretariat of the party faction.
Agbo said: “The reason for this briefing 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 2.45 pm 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, in fact my saving grace was that I was not sitting on my chair.
“Pointing a short gun on me, they demanded that I produce “Major Agbo” who one of them claimed was his coursemate at Command and Staff College, Jaji.
“I asked him if he would identify his coursemate 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.
“We are all aware of the recent developments in the party as a result of attempts to hijack it by some ill-advised elements and political opportunists.”
Agbo added that, in addition to the alleged assassination attempt, he has been receiving death threats.
“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 (National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders).
“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.”
