IBB’s endorsement of APC rattles PDP
THE recent applause of the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, is said to be causing ripples in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Findings by Saturday Tribune revealed that the national leadership of the PDP is not comfortable with the comments credited to Babangida at his Minna, Niger State home on Thursday, while speaking with journalists.
According to media reports, the former military president expressed joy over the emergence of the APC, saying that it was good for the political development of the country.
Babangida was reported to have claimed that his position on the desirability of a two-party system in the country when he was in the saddle, which led to the formation of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC), had been justified.
It was reported that when asked whether the development would not pose a problem for his party (PDP), Babangida retorted: “PDP or my party? Which one is my party? PDP was my party,” and was said to have
declined further comment on the statement.
However, it was gathered that the leadership of the PDP was concerned that such a statement could come from a respected elder of the party.
His comments, it was gathered, are being viewed as a confirmation of earlier speculations that Babangida was one the brains behind the formation of APC since he had failed to get the PDP’s nod over his presidential ambition which dates back to 2003.
“We are worried as a party if IBB actually made those comments on the emergence of APC. I think the national secretariat of our party needs to get in touch with the Niger State chapter to confirm his membership status so as to know what to do with him. The constitution of the party is very clear. To me, this is anti-party,” a PDP chieftain told Saturday Tribune in confidence, in Abuja, on Friday.
“When we read the report of the IBB’s comments in the dailies, we thought he was being misquoted as a supposed leader of the party and that one of his aides or himself would quickly refute the report, but nothing like that has happened so far. Then, we don’t need any soothsayer to tell us that he is not with us in the PDP again, but now on the other side,” the party chief said.
The source revealed that the fear of the party was further heightened by speculations that loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo were also planning to quit the PDP en masse to the APC in expression of their grievances against the leadership of the party.
Though the National Publicity of the PDP, Chief Olisah Metu, could not be immediately reached for comments, another chieftain of the party said that there was no cause for alarm as the party’s national leadership was capable of handling the matter and “put IBB where he belongs.”
