NNPP REJECTS US BILL SEEKING SANCTIONS ON KWANKWASO
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The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has criticized a proposed law in the United States Congress that aims to place sanctions on Rabiu Kwankwaso, the party‘s national leader, because of claims of “serious violations of religious freedom.”
On Tuesday, five US lawmakers introduced a bill in the House of Representatives, asking the Secretary of State to prepare a “detailed report on the United States’ actions to deal with religious persecution and large–scale violence in Nigeria.”
If the proposed legislation becomes law, the Departments of State and Treasury are expected to impose sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, on “individuals or entities responsible for severe religious freedom violations” in Nigeria.
The people and groups being sanctioned include Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was the former governor of Kano; the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN); Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore; and those referred to as “Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria.”
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, Ladipo Johnson, NNPP national publicity secretary, dismissed the allegations, describing them as a “contrived action” against an innocent man with no ties to religious fundamentalism.
“We see this development as a contrived action against an innocent man who clearly has no relationship with religious fundamentalism in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“His record is there in the public domain, either in public office or in private life, and it is advisable for people to investigate such things properly before reaching such conclusions.”
Johnson said the development is as a result of Kwankwaso’s previous response to US President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over religious persecution.
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On X, Kwankwaso warned against using overly simple ideas to describe Nigeria’s problems, stressing the country‘s independence and dangers from illegal groups.
Riley Moore, the person who wrote the bill, publicly asked Kwankwaso if he was responsible for the deaths of Christians, pointing to the time when Sharia law was fully introduced in Kano state while he was the governor.
However, Johnson criticized the US lawmaker for his position on Kwankwaso, saying that the leader of the NNPP has been more vocal about the country‘s safety issues.
“Is Rep Moore being fair or just picking certain people? Isn’t the US in a good relationship with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are both Sharia countries?” he asked.
“Isn’t it strange that it’s Kwankwaso, an opposition leader who has spoken out many times about the insecurity under this administration, that the United States now seems to be turning against?”
He also mentioned that as governor of Kano, Governor Kwankwaso helped eliminate Boko Haram from the state and had strong connections with Christian leaders.
“These are the facts, which we believe should guide the Congress and its leaders, especially Reps Riley Moore and Chris Smith, to carry out a full investigation into the credibility of our leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, so that justice is done to his good name and he is cleared of such unfair embarrassment,” Johnson added.
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