Offa Robbery: nPDP Pulls Out Of Talks With Presidency Over Saraki’s Ordeal

The new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), a power bloc within the All Progressives Congress, has pulled out of talks with the presidency.

The former nPDP had held a couple of meetings with the presidency to address some demands of its members.

According to sources, the nPDP, amongst other demands, wants a firm commitment from the APC that they will allow principal leaders of the National Assembly to retain their seats.

But the leadership of the nPDP, in a statement by its chairman, Abubakar Baraje, announced withdrawal from dialogue with the APC-led federal government.

Baraje said the withdrawal became necessary as “the Presidency is not interested in the talks and that they may have been negotiating in bad faith.”

He further accused the presidency of backing the recent accusation on the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, Governor of Kwara State, “both of whom attended the meeting with the Vice President on Monday 28 May”, of sponsoring the armed robbery incident which took place at Offa, Kwara state.

He accused the presidency of double-standard and lack of good faith in the dialogue.

Read the full statement below:

“The public may recall that there have been ongoing talks between members of the former Npdp, the APC and the Presidency in recent days.

“Nigerians may further recall that a team from the former nPDP led by Speaker of the House of Representatives, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and four others, were to meet with the Vice President, His Excellency Prof Yemi Osinbajo today.

“However, while we are truly and earnestly committed to achieving reconciliation, harmony, truce and cohesion in the APC as we approach the 2019 general elections, it is appears that the Presidency is not interested in the talks and that they may have been negotiating in bad faith.

“We were alarmed that immediately after our meeting with the Vice President last week, the presidency misrepresented what transpired at the meeting by trying to blackmail some of the principal actors involved in the discussions in a national daily.

“Similarly, the leadership of the party (APC) went ahead to ratify all the Congresses from ward, local governments, states and zonal where many of our members have complaints, effectively presenting us with a fait accompli.

“The persecution of our members using state security apparatus have continued unabated.

“We recognize the powers of the Police to conduct criminal investigations but by rushing to the public with the issue even when they have unfettered access to the leadership of the National Assembly suggests an attempt to undermine, caricature and humiliate the institution of the legislature.

“It appears that there is a fouled and toxic atmosphere and environment of intimidation and threat to life in which we now find ourselves which may no longer be conducive for members of the former nPDP to continue with the talks. Given the unfolding events in the last 24 hours, where the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, the Executive Governor of Kwara State , both of whom attended the meeting with the Vice President on Monday 28 May, 2018, have suddenly been accused of sponsoring armed robbery by the Police under the directives of the Presidency.

“Similarly, on Saturday, June 2nd, 2018, the Department of State of Services (DSS) also suddenly withdrew more than half of all the security details attached to the presiding officers of the National Assembly under questionable circumstances.

“The nPDP leadership has decided to brief our members on the unfortunate development and get a fresh mandate if good faith returns to the discussions.”