The leadership of the nPDP, a bloc in the All Progressives Congress has pulled out of an ongoing negotiation with the presidency following building allegation by the Police that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara state, Ahmed Abdulfatah were behind the recent robbery attack in Offa.
The nPDP in a statement issued on Monday by Alhaji Kawu Baraje said it has suspended the reconciliation talks with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency. The statement cited the indictment of Saraki and Ahmed as one of the reasons for the action. It accused the Presidency of not being interested in the talk, stressing that despite complaints by its members, the party went ahead to approve congresses of states where its members were not fairly treated.
“Nigerians may further recall that a team from the former nPDP led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and four others, were to meet with the Vice- President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, today (Monday).
“However, while we are truly and earnestly committed to achieving reconciliation, harmony, truce and cohesion in the APC as we approach the 2019 general election, it appears that the Presidency is not interested in the talks and that they may have been negotiating in bad faith.
“We were alarmed that immediately after our meeting with the Vice-President last week, the Presidency misrepresented what transpired at the meeting by trying to blackmail some of the principal actors involved in the discussions in a national daily.
“Similarly, the leadership of the party (APC) went ahead to ratify all the congresses from wards, local governments, states and zones where many of our members have complaints, effectively presenting us with a fait accompli.
“His Excellency, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Governor of Kwara State, both of whom attended the meeting with the Vice-President on Monday, May 28, 2018, ,have suddenly been accused of sponsoring armed robbery by the Police under the directives of the Presidency.
“It appears that there is a fouled and toxic atmosphere and environment of intimidation and threat to life in which we now find ourselves which may no longer be conducive for members of the former nPDP to continue with the talks. “The nPDP leadership has decided to brief our members on the unfortunate development and get a fresh mandate if good faith returns to the discussions.”
Recall that the nPDP had last week met with the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo after the group threatened to dump the APC over alleged maltreatment of its members. The meeting was billed to resume today before the group decided to pull out.
