- May resumes talks, as members move to take final position
Ismail Omipidan and Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin
The seemingly signs of growing rapprochement between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a major bloc within it, the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) appears to be heading for the rocks once more.
Indications emerged yesterday that the leadership of the nPDP will be making its position known this week on where it stands, ahead of the 2019 elections.
Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, leader of the group, made this known in a statement from his media office in Ilorin.
He disclosed that before the end of the week, members of the group would have concluded their consultations and come up with their position on all what they stand for, emphasising that whatever decision they would take would be one that would seek to promote the wellbeing of the Nigerian masses.
He also stressed that “corporate interest of the citizenry and a united Nigeria where no man is oppressed is paramount and very dear to their hearts.”
This is even as he thanked Nigerians, who he said have always seen reason for their struggle, particularly the media for adequate reportage of their activities.
Daily Sun investigations, however, revealed that the group’s position may have been informed by the olive branch extended to it by the new national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.
Oshiomhole had shortly after his swearing in expressed the party’s desire under his leadership to engage with all aggrieved members of the party, with a view to winning their confidence back.
Daily Sun put a call to Baraje yesterday to confirm whether or not the group was going to be meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on its grievances, he simply said, “call me back by Monday, by then the picture would have been clearer.”
Sources close to the group and the presidency, however, told Daily Sun that the group was indeed considering meeting with Buhari, if the president shows “reasonable sign” of his desire to meet with them.
“Contrary to what some persons are saying, all we want is to be treated as equal partners in the APC because we all contributed to installing the Buhari government in 2015.
“I am sure you were at our convention in Abuja, you heard what Oshiomhole said. He acknowledged our group’s contribution to the APC success in 2015. In fact, he was emphatic by saying that but for our group’s contribution, it probably would have been difficult for the APC to make it. He is the reason we are considering reopening this negotiation.
“Unfortunately, some persons around Buhari are arrogant about the whole thing, and I don’t know where the arrogance is coming from. They are deceiving the man, and the man appears to be listening to them.
“Look here, with what is happening in Benue and Plateau, do you think those two states will vote Buhari again in 2019? Now, if he loses Benue, Plateau, Kogi and loses Kwara, where else does he think he can win in the North-central with all these crises in the country and in the party?
“The South-east and South-south are gone already. And the South-west cannot do better than it did in 2015? So tell me, where is the arrogance coming from? We just want to explore all avenues of resolving the crisis before taking a stand,” the source who is a very senior government official said.
Speaking in the same vein, another chieftain of the party, who though is not a member of the nPDP, but who is also an aggrieved APC member believed the party has lost the opportunity to bring back all aggrieved members into the party.
“I don’t know why nPDP is still wasting time discussing with the APC. Do you think Kwankwaso will return to APC? Didn’t you read what he said recently? You think Nyako and his son will remain in the APC? For those of us willing to leave the party together with nPDP, we want Saraki, Dogara and Baraje to foreclose any further talks with these people. We should just decide and move on,” the source, a serving lawmaker said.
Daily Sun recalls that members of nPDP, who broke out from the former ruling party to join forces with the then opposition APC to win the 2015 general election, had recently complained of being marginalised in the APC.
It also issued an ultimatum to President Buhari to meet with it within seven days.
The group has in its rank the likes of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara respectively. It also has former governors of Sokoto, Adamawa and Kano States as members.
Although Buhari is yet to meet the group, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the party leadership under the immediate past chairman, John Oyegun, had met with the group.
Negotiations was still on when Buhari called the bluff of the group, insisting that since its grievances were largely party matter, the APC was in a better way to relate with the group and not the presidency.
But barely 48 hours after Buhari’s position was made public, another source from the presidency countered Buhari’s position, insisting that the Presidency was not averse to meeting the nPDP.
