The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been engulfed in deep mix-up over the emergence of a splinter faction in Abuja on Wednesday, the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) constituting progressive forces in the dominant APC. The Wednesday declaration exposed the artificial peace in APC post-convention period. While President Muhammadu Buhari held an emergency meeting with APC governors in Abuja on Thursday, the new National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, shuttling between the two Chambers of the National Assembly – the Senate and the House of Representatives, appealing for patience and promising to restore justice and equity in the party, the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, was spitting fire, threatening legal action against the splinter faction.
The APC National Publicity Secretary appears to have lost hindsight of history which he was part of a similar action in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that led to the collapse of the party. Besides, stakeholders identified in the R-APC are known to have huge political capital with army of grassroots followers capable of remarkably re-populating the mainstream APC. Adnullahi would need to follow the consultation track of the president and the party’s national chairman.
In most ridiculous party administration and conflicts management, Abdulahi refuted the obvious split that there is no faction in the party.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement on Thursday, hinted that the party was currently studying the situation, describing the APC members in the emergent faction as mischievous.
Abdullahi declared that having failed to scuttle the National Convention as was their original plan; the aggrieved members resorted “to this subterfuge as a way of achieving the pre-determined end of causing confusion”.
“APC wishes to affirm that there is no faction in our party and declares the action by these individuals as mischievous and ill-advised,” he stated.
Abdullahi, in the statement, was of the view that the group of individuals that announced themselves as “Reformed APC’ at a press conference held in Abuja on Wednesday were mischievous. He maintained that by their actions, the group had attempted to create the impression that the party was factionalised.
“This is not true. As a matter of fact, we doubt that these individuals parading as leaders of the so called faction are actual members of our party. We are currently investigating their true membership status within the party.
“While we shall continue to monitor developments in this respect; we will not hesitate to take lawful actions to defend the unity of our party and protect the sanctity of its identity.
“We are currently reviewing the action of this so-called faction in order to determine if any aspect of the party’s constitution has been breached with the connivance of any of our members.
“For those members who have genuine grievances, we want to assure them of the commitment of the new leadership of the party to address those grievances as quickly as possible in a manner that ensures that justice is done to all,” he declared.
The R-APC emerged on Wednesday with leadership structures established at the national and states levels, including the National Chairman, Buba Galadima, among others.