•To meet aggrieved members

Layi Olanrewaju, Ilorin

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress  (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, will lead party leaders to a much-awaited meeting with leaders of the new PDP (nPDP).

They are scheduled to meet, today, the APC national secretariat.

Former acting chairman of the nPDP,  Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, disclosed this to newsmen, in Ilorin,  Kwara state, yesterday, where he also said the meeting is slated for 2.00pm.

Baraje, who decried the high rate of internal  conflicts within the ruling APC, which has culminated in parallel state congresses in more than 10 states, said contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the nPDP’s May 7 letter to the APC leadership was to forestall such occurrences.

He pointed out that the PDP  never had such internal wrangling  as is evident in the APC, and warned that if the APC fails to heed the request of the nPDP, then, it’s forthcoming  national convention might become an avenue to wash its dirty linens openly.

Baraje expressed concern over the path being trodden by leaders of the APC, lamenting that what members of the nPDP are witnessing in the APC are worse than what they experienced in the PDP.

He said the nPDP is made up of men and women who cannot  be pushed  aside and referred to the resignation of the group’s secretary  and former governor of Osun State,  Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as signal of what may happen if  members are not able to convince their followers about the need to remain in the APC.

But, he said nPDP members would not immediately pull out of the APC if the party fails to meet their  demands, saying like they did in the last administration they would still go ahead and meet with several  leaders across the country to stop what he termed impunity within the party.

“The last time we met here (Baraje’s house), in 2016, I told you that the way the party was going  on, we were on the road to perdition.  If you look at the letter  we wrote we never said we gave ultimatum but that we advised them;  we hinted the party because  of the ongoing  primaries of the party.
“Now the party has invited us,  exactly on the seventh day of the letter  and they  wanted us to meet  that same day but, because we were speaking for several leaders across the country, we told them we couldn’t meet that same day so, now, they have scheduled  a meeting for today; anytime from 2:00pm”

He dismissed the opposition led by Senator Abdullahi  Adamu, to the nPDP’s petition and noted that the nPDP is such a large group that it cannot but have some black legs.

“We have travelled a long way with the APC and now we are seeing  things worse in APC than in PDP. If we are leaders, worth the name, we should be bold enough to speak about it,” he said.