APC dismisses PDP coalition

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to the coalition of 38 political parties and a faction of the party, stating its party remains united under President Muhammadu Buhari.

On Monday, the self-styled Reformed APC (R_APC) and other political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) signed an MoU to form a coalition against the president ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Other parties include the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP), Progressives Peoples Alliance and African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The parties agreed to work together under the name “Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP)”.

This came less than one week after some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Buhari’s party, announced the formation of R-APC.

The splinter group, led by Buba Galadima, a former ally of the president, is believed to backed by some APC leaders including Senate president Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

“We respect the right of everyone to join any association or group. However, we wish to reiterate that the so-called R-APC is not a faction of our Party. Our Party, the APC remains united under the leadership of our President, Muhammadu Buhari.”

The party in a statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, its spokesperson, said some of the parties named as signatories to the MoU have disassociated themselves from the publicised deal.

The APC said no level of “gang-up” can make its government under President Buhari to waiver in its promises to Nigerians to rid our country of corruption and improve the quality of lives of the people.

It however reiterated its commitment to address real grievances of its genuine members as it called on them to take advantage of the opportunity while the windows for reconciliation are still open.

The National Youth Leader of the APC, Sadiq Abubakar, also dismissed what he described as the so-called CUPP and its sponsors, describing members of the new alliance as a bunch of “briefcase” parties.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Abubakar referred to the sponsors of the coalition as serial election losers, who specialise in jumping from one party to another.

“Buhari will not lose sleep over shenanigans by corrupt PDP elements and some briefcase parties that lack political ideology because as the saying goes, ‘you can lie to a blind man that there is oil in the food but you cannot lie to him that there is salt when there is none.”

SOURCE: premium times