Visible cracks, yesterday, emerged in the ranks of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) elements in the All Progressives Congress, with a rival group asking President Muhammadu Buhari to call the bluff of the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led group. The latest group, led by Senator Adamu Abdullahi, also accused Senate President Bukola Saraki of being the brain behind the Baraje’s faction of the nPDP.
The Baraje-led nPDP had given the APC leadership and President Buhari a seven day- ultimatum to address the issue of marginalisation, sideline and oppression against its members, even as a four-page grievances letter was submitted to the party last week. However, while dismissing the Baraje-led group during a press conference at the APC National Secretariat, Senator Adamu said, his group was also part of nPDP right from beginning, adding that all the allegations raised in the letter submitted by Baraje group were false
. In another letter submitted by the Adamu-led faction titled “Unfunded and unjustified ground for confrontation with our party – the APC and government by some members of the defunct nPDP” dated May 14, 2018, addressed the APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, the group described Baraje letter as “misleading.” The letter was signed by Adamu as the chairman, Chief Theodore Geogewill as Deputy Chairman and Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin as Secretary of the group.
It read in part: “The letter is full of contradictions, false assertions, and misrepresentations, distortion of history and facts and in many instances outright lies. “We, as initiators and founding members of the defunct nPDP, therefore, wish to condemn and disassociate ourselves from the letter and apologise for the obvious embarrassment the letter have caused to our party and government. “We wish to reaffirm our support and confi dence in the party and Mr. President and we do not in any way feel marginalised or maltreated as we are clearly in the league of the biggest beneficiaries of the party.
“Mr. Chairman, for the purpose of correcting the misleading contents of the letter and setting the records straight, it is pertinent that we provide some facts on some of the issues raised in the letter.” On the issue of marginalisation as alleged by Baraje-led group, the group said: “Government at the federal level is not only the executive branch in isolation, it includes the legislature as well. “The APC government deliberately or not, has a balance of power among the various parties and groups that merged to form the APC at the federal level.
