7-Day ultimatum: Oyegun dismisses n-PDP protest letter

…Says APC Congresses, National Convention top on his priorities
The National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has washed off its hands from the complaint of negligence leveled against it by a caucus of the party known as New-Peoples Democratic Party (n-PDP), stating that the protest by the caucus made to it was ill-timed and misdirected.

This is said to be the position of the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, at a meeting of party officials in Abuja shortly after the n-PDP fired its letter of protest on alleged ill-treatment of its members within the ruling party.

According to reports, the APC Chairman had told party officials that he is at the moment preoccupied with conduct of congresses of the party and planning for APC’s national convention, and hence has no time to attend to the memo by n-PDP.

It is not likely that the Oyegun-led APC will take an action to address the issues raised in the n-PDP letter as the 7-day ultimatum the political bloc issued to APC ends tomorrow.

There are speculations, however, that the Abubakar Baraje and Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola-led n-PDP will move out of APC en-bloc to join a new political party, as members are said to have engaged in consultations with the PDP on issues at stake.

Members of the n-PDP had wreaked the former party during the reign of former President Goodluck Jonathan when they moved out of the party to join the APC, a development which left a deep hole in the heart of the PDP

The initiative by n-PDP to leave the old party was at the instance of five state governors of Sokoto, Kano, Kwara, Adamawa and Rivers State, all joined by former governors of Kebbi, Gombe, Osun.

APC top shots in separate chats with The Daily Times disclosed that the memo by n-PDP members would be reserved for the next National Officers of the party which will emerge during the National Convention planned for the end of June.

The 7-day ultimatum the n-PDP issued to APC in its letter of protest ends on Tuesday, as watchers of politics eagerly awaits its next move.

The mood at the APC National Secretariat, according to members who spoke in confidence to our correspondent, is that the n-PDP protest lacked substance, since its top members are in control of key positions in the present administration, while also holding the Senate Presidency.

The n-PDP in its four-page letter dated April 27, 2018, titled “Request for redressing of grievances of the former new PDP bloc within the All Progressives Congress,” had complained of being sidelined by the APC and had demanded a redress within the next 7 days.

n-PDP in the letter, argued that APC was able to win the Presidency back in 2015 partly because of votes contributed by its members and hence deserved a better treatment from the APC.

The letter reads in part: “We the members of the APC who moved over from the PDP to form the APC before the 2015 General Electrons in Nigeria are desirous of strengthening our party, especially now that new party Congresses have commenced and the Convention and another round of General Elections are imminent.

“Obviously, this cannot be achieved without addressing fundamental issues, which we wish to raise in the letter. We therefore wish, with due respect, to re-state our expectation then and now that the APC we all laboured to build would be one united, inclusive, cohesive and progressive party devoid of divisions, factions, cleavages and tendencies.

“We envisioned a political party promoting equal rights for all Nigerians and ensuring rapid and even development across the country.

“Of course, there is no gainsaying that the fact that the lofty ideals enumerated above cannot be attained without ensuring justice for party faithful and citizens”.