7 Days ultimatum to APC, President: Ignore at your risk – nPDP

Defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje, in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has told President Muhammadu Buhari and the party to ignore the 7 days ultimatum contained in their letter calling for dialogue on way forward at their risk.

The group also said that they were yet to receive any communication, written or verbal from either the President or the party in response to their letter, saying that they will be meeting in the next few days to decide on their next line of action which will be in the best interest of Nigeria and democracy in the country.

Deputy National publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and spokesman of the group Comrade Timi Frank in a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday while reacting to Monday’s counter letter to the leadership of the party by another faction of the ex-PDP leaders in the party dismissed the Senator Abdullahi Adamu led Buhari Supporters in the group saying Nigerians should not take them serious as they were mere noise makers.

Frank said they were not surprised at the decision of Senator Abdullahi Adamu and his group in opposing their letter to the party adding that the Senator is known to have supported Abacha’s bid of self succession and former President Obasanjo’s third term bid.

Dismissing the existence of a faction within the group, the spokesman pointed that over 95 percent of members of the group have given their leader, Alhaji Kawu Baraje the right to speak on their behalf indicating that Senator Abdullahi Adamu only joined them in the new PDP when it became obvious to him that they were interfacing with the APC.

He reminded the party that the same steps being taken to mend fences were taken by them while in the PDP, but were ignored, stressing that the singular mistake of ignoring them was responsible for the exit of the Jonathan government and the coming into power of the APC.

He said: “I want to use this opportunity to remind my party that this is the same way we were trying to correct the wrongs of the Jonathan’s Government while in the PDP, but they never listened to us. We told them why we were aggrieved.

Our leaders moved round the states to talk to party members, to ask the government at that time to listen to our views, but at the end of the day, they refused, they ignored us, which is why we are where we are today.

“We joined the APC and that was how today, we are enjoying this so called change agenda we are talking about. So, if today, 95 per cent of us, who came from the new PDP are aggrieved and they felt they are going to undermine us, or they are going to ignore our group,

so be it, but at the end of the day, we believe we are going to take a decision that will benefit the Nigerian people because we believe that democracy should be all inclusive. Democracy should not be a situation where, when you speak the truth, you will be harassed, you will be intimidated.

“Today, everyone that is being harassed within the party came from the new PDP. We have not seen anybody from the ACN or the CPC or the ANPP or the section of APGA that joined us that is being intimidated or harassed. It is clear.

So, we refused to be intimidated. We believe we are going to be doing the right thing. We believe we are going to do everything possible to rescue Nigeria the same way we rescued Nigeria from the PDP. So, if today, we decided to lay our complaints to the party and they feel it is not important for them to attend to our issues; we will leave them to God”.

Frank who insisted that there is no faction within the group said: “I am here to clarify issues and debunk some of the lies from some of our members led by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumini who were in the party secretariat yesterday (Monday) to oppose the view of the majority, to oppose what our leaders have said. The chairman of our group, Alhaji Kawu Baraje was at the secretariat to submit a letter informing the party of our grievances as the new PDP that joined the merger that brought the APC into power.

“In all of these, I want to make it very clear that we have no faction in our group. I saw in some of the papers that there is crack in the new PDP. There is no crack as far as we are concerned.

We only have one group, we have only one leader and that leader remains only Alhaji Kawu Baraje and I can tell you clearly that, without fear or favor. I want to make it known to all of you that Alhaji Kawu Baraje is not alone in that letter. He has the mandate of over 95% of some of us that joined the new PDP into the APC that made victory successful in 2015”.

He emphasized that the participation of the new PDP in the affairs of the APC was responsible for the victory we are all enjoying today.

“So, when people like Sen. Abdullahi Adamu who used to be one of us came up with some of his positions, he must have forgotten history and I want to make it known to you that whatever they’ve said to counter our move, are total lies.

“Nigerians are there to testify. They said the new PDP group has benefitted massively from this government. That is one of their claims which are not true.

But, I want to make it very clear that we are not here to respond to individuals, we are here to make it known that our letter is to the party. So, it is left for the party to either take it seriously or not. But I believe any serious party will take whatever position or decision we have brought them to look into.

“Today makes it seven days from the day our group brought this letter to the party. But as it stands, we’ve not gotten any response yet from them.

As we’ve said, whatever we must have said in that letter is not an empty threat. If they decide to ignore us, so, be it. But at the appropriate time, we are going to respond and make our position known to Nigerians based on what we’ve said.

It is not just a mere ultimatum. But I will tell you clearly that we are meeting with our leaders and we are going to come up with a clear position on our next step if finally they don’t attend to us.

On the claim by the Senator Adamu led group that they have benefitted from the government, he said; “I want go back to some of the benefits that they claimed our group has benefitted.

The Senator Abdullahi and Jibrin said yesterday that we benefited by getting the office of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Some Senators, Governors and so on. For God’s sake, these are elected positions.

“Nigerians are aware of how we succeeded in getting the Senate President and the Speaker from the new PDP. They were not supported by our party, neither were they supported by the executive arm of government. We managed to get these two positions by the grace of God and by the support of Nigerian people.

We also got those position through the support of senators and members of the House of Representatives that believed and had confidence in the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara and chose to stand by these two people because they believe these two people will take the party and Nigerians to the promise land.

“They never got there on the fact that the new PDP should be able to benefit from the APC because of their Labor because they contributed in bringing the change and government of today. Therefore, let’s reward them with these positions. This is not true.

The only two beneficiaries in our group is Rotimi Ameachi who finally became Minister of Transportation and Senator Aisha Alhassan who is the Minister for women Affairs. These are the two people we can remember. So, I want to make it very clear that we are not going to be intimidated by anybody as long as the Nigerian people are happy with us”.