Politics
Uncertainties in APC deepen: nPDP indecision rattles Presidency
By SUNDAY ODIBASHI
The interventionist meeting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo held with the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not sufficient to convince leaders of the faction on their resolution to remain in the ruling party as the preparations for the 2019 general elections hot up.
President Buhari had also requested for a meeting with the nPDP to follow up their meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with faction following their protest letter to APC leadership and the President seeking urgent meeting to deliberate on their marginalization in the ruling APC.
The ruling party is also facing deepening uncertainties from the post-congresses conflicts in several states. Parallel congresses in most states clearly drew demarcation lines in the APC, securing the polar blocs of the respective leaders.
National Daily inquiry unveiled that the various meetings had not convinced the angry party members to make up their minds on abandoning the protest and assure of their continuous stay in the party.
Leaders of the nPDP had, after a meeting with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, early this week, revealed that it is too early to know for certain if they will remain in the APC.
The uncertainty of the nPDP decision on their stay in APC is rife because the nPDP is a broad faction in the APC, some of its leaders have returned to the mainstream PDP. More so, several others still in APC, essentially, governors and lawmakers, have been holding consultation meetings, deliberating on the future of nPDP in post-2019 APC. They have also been weighing the option of returning to the PDP.
Kawu Baraje, leader of nPDP, had stated that the intervention meeting was a good beginning but they were looking forward to having a similar sit-down with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Baraje narrated: “Members of the nPDP had written a letter to the party, copying the President and the Vice-President.
“So, the party had invited us earlier on and now it is the turn of the Vice-President, probably the next one will be the President.
“So far so good, we are looking forward to some of the promises. There will be other meetings because we have been put into subcommittees, and then, we will now identify specific and general problems and then we will proceed to see Mr. President. But it was a very good meeting.”
National Daily gathered that nPDP members present at the meeting included Senate President Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives; Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State; Abdulfattah Ahmed, Governor of Kwara State, and Rabiu Kwakwanso, former Governor of Kano State, among others.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who led the nPDP out of the PDP in 2014 towards the 2015 general elections, had since returned to the PDP and is currently aspiring for the PDP presidential ticket.