The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has expressed shock in the reports that the Congress of the United States of America has considered a Bill; The Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act 2026, (HR 7457) and there in named the National Leader of the party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as the sole person, along with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and Fulani Ethnic Militia, who should face targeted sanctions including visa bans and asset freezes.
This is due to his purported responsibility for “severe religious freedom violations.”
The NNPP described the planned censure of its national leader as blackmail.
This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson.
The party dismissed any suggestion that he was responsible for violations of religious freedom.
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“We see this development as a contrived action against an innocent man who clearly has no relationship with religious fundamentalism in Nigeria, ‘’the statement said.
“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.”
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Johnson noted that months before the latest development, Kwankwaso had reacted to the decision by US President Donald Trump to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged persecution of Christians.
He said, “The months before the latest development, Kwankwaso had openly reacted when President Donald Trump re-designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious persecution.
“In a statement posted on his X handle at the time, Kwankwaso cautioned against what he described as oversimplified characterisations of Nigeria’s internal challenges.
“Kwankwaso stated that it was important to emphasise that our country is a sovereign nation whose people face different threats from outlaws across the country.”
The party also defended Kwankwaso’s record as governor, stating, “We recall that as Governor of Kano State, Senator Kwankwaso ensured that the Boko Haram sect was wiped out of the state, and his close relationships with Christian leaders in Kano and across the country attest to his credibility as a national leader and statesman.
“Even when he was pressured to introduce Sharia, he still lost his election because the predominantly Muslim voters punished him for supporting a Christian presidential candidate in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Furthermore, in 2023, he ran his presidential campaign with a Christian Bishop, Isaac Idahosa, as his running mate.
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