Kano High Court Restrains Dungurawa as NNPP Leadership Crisis Deepens

The internal struggle for the soul of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano State reached a judicial climax this Friday as a Kano State High Court issued an interim order suspending the party’s state chairman, Hashimu Suleiman-Dungurawa. The ruling, delivered by Justice Zuwaira Yusuf, effectively bars Dungurawa from parading himself as the party’s leader in the state, pending the determination of a substantive suit filed by disgruntled members from his own constituency.

This legal intervention comes on the heels of a turbulent week for the party, which saw Dungurawa’s political base in the Gargari Ward of Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area move to expel him just days ago. The court’s decision was prompted by an ex parte motion filed by Shuaibu Hassan and nine other ward members. These applicants sought judicial validation for a disciplinary process they initiated on December 30, which they claim was executed in strict accordance with the NNPP’s governing constitution.

The allegations leveled against Dungurawa are both political and administrative in nature. The applicants accused the embattled chairman of publicly denigrating the office and person of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, an act they described as a betrayal of party loyalty and a catalyst for internal discord. Beyond these rhetorical clashes, the suit also cited a failure to pay mandatory party dues and the deliberate creation of factions within the state chapter as grounds for his removal.

Justice Yusuf’s order specifically maintains the status quo that was established following the December 30 resolution by 27 ward executive members to sack the chairman. By granting the interim injunction, the court has effectively sidelined Dungurawa while the legal merits of the ward’s authority are debated. The case, now registered as Suit No. KN/1218/2026, has been adjourned until January 19 for the hearing of the substantive motion on notice.

This judicial development stands in direct contrast to the position of the NNPP’s National Working Committee (NWC). Earlier in the week, the party’s national organ in Abuja had dismissed the ward’s action as “illegal” and “null,” arguing that a local ward lacks the constitutional power to discipline a state-level chairman. The NWC had praised Dungurawa as a diligent leader, but this new court order creates a significant legal hurdle for the national leadership’s attempt to reinstate him.

In the wake of the court’s ruling, the Kano State Executive Committee of the NNPP has already moved to fill the leadership vacuum. The committee recently ratified the nomination of Abdullahi Zubairu-Abiya as the acting chairman of the party. According to the party’s assistant legal adviser, Yusuf Mukhtar, this appointment was a necessary step to ensure administrative continuity and stability while the court navigates the complex web of allegations against Dungurawa.

Observers of Kano politics suggest that this crisis is a symptom of a much larger friction between the “Kwankwasiyya” movement and the state’s executive arm. Rumors of potential political realignments and disagreements over the party’s future direction have fueled a climate of suspicion, with Dungurawa’s suspension being seen by many as a proxy battle between rival power blocs. The court’s involvement adds a layer of formal complexity that could take weeks, if not months, to resolve.

As the party prepares for the January 19 hearing, the spotlight remains on Justice Yusuf’s courtroom. For Dungurawa, the challenge is now to prove that the ward’s actions were a procedural overreach, while his opponents hope to use the court to permanently cement his exit. For now, the “Budget of Shared Prosperity” in the state and other legislative activities continue, but the political foundation of the ruling party in Kano remains on shaky ground.