Buhari Not Planning To Meet Aggrieved nPDP Members – Source

PDP vs Buhari (Photo Credits: Photo File)

Buhari Shuns Meeting With Aggrieved nPDP Members

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he is not planning to have any meeting with the new Peoples Democratic Party, (nPDP) faction of the All Progressive Congress.

A top government official disclosed this to journalists on the condition of anonymity yesterday.

The source disclosed that Buhari had made his stand known to state governors elected on the platform of the APC during a meeting he had with them recently.

The President was said to have insisted that state governors and the national leaders of the party should be able to resolve such issues.

He said the issue was a party matter and as such he was not ready to sit with any faction.

Buhari was quoted to have told the APC governors, that “It is a party matter. I am not ready to sit down with any faction. If they have problems, they should go to the party. I will not interfere.

“Governors as party leaders in the states should deal with all issues. Where there is a need, the party leadership can come in. I will not get involved,”

Buhari reportedly agreed that the contact started by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo should continue.

The source also added that Mr President’s stand caused rancour among the governors that attended the meeting.

“Some hard-line governors asked the President to ignore the nPDP members while the majority felt the party and the VP should continue to talk to them,” the source added.

Punch reports that effort to reach the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, and some other aggrieved members of the nPDP for comments was not successful.

When contacted, an aide to Kwankwaso, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his Principal was out of the country and was not aware of the position taken by the President on the crisis.

He said, “I think what you should do is to get the response from the Chairman of the nPDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje. My boss has travelled out of the country and I can’t say anything about it. He has not heard anything like that.”

Naija News recalls that the nPDP had earlier in May issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Buhari to address grievances of alleged marginalisation and persecution of its members.

The ultimatum was contained in a letter sent to the President by the chairman of the defunct nPDP, Baraje and the secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

It was sent to the President through the office of the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

The nPDP bloc expressed dismay that despite significant contributions they made in the emergence of Buhari as the winner of the 2015 Presidential election, they had been sidelined by the government.

Specifically, they claimed that members of their group were denied juicy appointments while those who got top positions in the National Assembly were being allegedly persecuted by the Federal Government.