President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of a request for a meeting by members of the new Peoples Democratic Party bloc of the All Progressives Congress has jolted members of the nPDP.
It was learnt on Tuesday that following the refusal of the President to meet with nPDP, leaders of the group were in a dilemma on whether to leave the APC or stay in the ruling party.
It was gathered that the group had thought that Buhari would not only meet its leaders, but also grant some of its requests because of his desire to seek re-election in 2019.
However, Buhari was reported to have told state governors at a recent meeting that he was not prepared to meet with the aggrieved party members.
Most of the national dailies on Tuesday, reported the President as saying, “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 intervene.
“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.”
But a former National Youth Leader of the nPDP, Mr. Timi Frank, told Punch that the group would consider the media reports as speculations.
He said, “We have not been formally communicated. We read it on the pages of newspapers like everyone else. If it is true- because, there has not been a denial (from the Presidency).
“I want to say that it was this same nonchalant attitude that the former ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party, exhibited that led us to leave the party and the party paid the price.
“If today our President decides to say he is going to ignore us, so be it but I can assure you that we can’t be ignored. Our group is not a group that anybody can ignore. We have the capacity to make our point.
“If we leave today, I can assure you the party (APC) will crash. We want to believe that that news is a rumour. I don’t think the President will say he doesn’t want to see members of his party.”
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