Chukwudi Nweje

Member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has refuted claims filed in a petition by Alhaji Kawu Baraje to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the new PDP (nPDP) caucus is being marginalised. 

Jibrin, who represents Kano State in the Lower Chamber, said every key member of the nPDP nominated a member of the APC National Working  Committee (NWC) and added that if there was any marginalisation, it should be the other way around; nPDP members marginalising themselves. “Every key member of the defunct nPDP has a stake in the APC. All the key members of the nPDP made nominations into the National Working Committee of the APC and these people are still serving  there.  “For instance,  Alhaji (Senator) Rabiu Kwankwaso nominated the treasurer, the governor of Sokoto (Magatarkada Wammako) nominated the national vice chairman (North West), the Senate President,  Dr. Bukola Saraki nominated the publicity secretary,  Rotimi Amaechi,  the Minister of Transportation nominated the national youth leader.

“All these people are still there. The people talking about marginalisation seem to be confused.  If there is any marginalisation, it is marginalisation of nPDP members by some leaders within the nPDP,” he reiterated.
Jibrin said it is time for nPDP members to come together and tell themselves the truth and also, charged Baraje to stop using the name of the defunct nPDP to make trouble,  and added that “we don’t know who Baraje is representing.”

The Kano lawmaker said anybody who wants to make trouble should do something in his personal capacity, as members of the nPDP are comfortable in the APC and will continue to support the party.

“Nobody should use us to cause trouble,” noted Jibrin.
He said nPDP members are well represented in APC and that they will continue to support  the party and President Muhammadu Buhari. He insisted that the party is prepared for the 2019 elections.

Meanwhile, Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-makura corroborated Jibrin and declared that the crisis in the APC will not affect the fortunes of the party in 2019.
Al-makura insisted he has no preferred candidate to succeed him in Nasarawa, but disclosed that he may consider running for a Senate seat; if his people think he should.

The governor and Jibrin spoke on a Lagos-based national television programme, Politics Today, yesterday.
Al-makura was emphatic that the exit of some members, including former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola will not affect the party.

He said President Buhari remains the candidate to beat in 2019.

The crises rocking the APC worsened last week when Baraje and Oyinlola fired a May 7 petition to the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, wherein they alleged that the nPDP element in the party had been relegated, marginalised and harassed, among other complaints, since coming into power in 2015.

The group gave the party seven days to address the complaints.
The ultimatum ended yesterday.