nPDP members planning to quit APC on June 23 - Sources allege

nPDP members planning to quit APC on June 23 - Sources allege

- nPDP members are reportedly planning to leave the APC for another party on June 23, which is when the ruling party is scheduled to hold its national convention

- According to one source, the faction wants to score a big point by leaving the APC on that particular day

- Another source urged President Buhari to spearhead reconciliation efforts and make concessions to the nPDP members

- The leader of the faction, however, said no official statement has been released concerning the matter

Several credible sources have disclosed that former prominent members of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013 may collectively move to another party on June 23, Daily Trust reports.

According to the sources, the date June 23 is a symbolic one as it is the day the ruling party would hold its national convention to elect new leaders.

Legit.ng gathers that a top politician with knowledge of happenings in the APC said members of the the Kawu Baraje-led nPDP group had concluded plans to quit the APC.

The source said: “Convention is very important for any political party because it is the creation of the party constitution and any decision taken there is binding. It can make and mar any political party, no matter how strong it is.

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“The nPDP wants to score a big point by leaving the APC on the day of its convention. Decisions taken during conventions or extra ordinary meetings carry weight; enough to put a political party in coma.

“Sadly, handlers of the APC at the highest echelon of power are not doing the needful. It is suicidal to allude that nPDP members do not have political values; it is not true.

“Agreed, they joined the APC when many of them were governors, such as Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, but all these people are still strong in their states; they have followers and when they leave, it would tell on the fortunes of the party both at the national and state levels."

Another source with knowledge about the matter said the nPDP members decided to leave the APC as it became clear that that the ruling party was not taking any steps to address their grievances.

He said: “Look at the state congresses, with the exception of few places; governors have taken absolute control of all the machineries from the ward to state level. This means those who lost out, of course the nPDP members, would mostly likely have to fall on their knees for them to get tickets to return to their current positions.

“Another factor is that during the National Convention, the governors would have absolute say and determine who gets what. Do you expect the governors or other forces to allow anyone who is not with them to become even an ex-officio? So the nPDP members have no option but to pull out."

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The source suggested that President should call for another meeting and spearhead the reconciliation himself as it would mean more to the nPDP members than what Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has done.

"Let him concede to some of the nPDP demands, especially in terms of appointments; there are vacancies in many places. He should also assure those with elective positions such as senators and reps that there would be free and fair primaries and should live by his words. He should give ‘shadow appointment’ to other aggrieved members.

“What do I mean by this? He should assure them of good recognition after the 2019 elections. This would reduce tension in the party which is necessary ahead of 2019 elections. I am sure many of them would agree and relax; but this does not mean that others would not go, no matter what you do to them. The president must be seen to be uniting the party himself," he added.

Reacting to the alleged planned exit, Baraje however said no official statement has been released by the nPDP concerning the matter.

He said: “Have you seen any official statement from us concerning that? If not, then act and write only based on our official reaction or statement, thank you.”

Also, the media aide to Rabiu Kwakwaso, Binta Spikin, said she was not aware that June 23 had been fixed for the defection of nPDP members, including her boss. In her words: “No date has been fixed for our pulling out of the party. It may interest you to know that most people have gone to Saudi Arabia for lesser hajj.”

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This development follows a previous report by Legit.ng, that the nPDP withdrew its planned dialogue with the leadership of the APC.

The group was supposed to meet with Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Monday, June 4, to address their grievances. However, leader of the faction, Abubakar Baraje, accused the APC of not treating its members well.

APC is the worst party in Nigeria, i regret being a member - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng

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