The Leader of the new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, Kawu Baraje, says the group has decided to shelve further meetings and negotiations following the continuous harassments of their members.
The group also cited the inability of the presidency and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to act on some of its grievances.
DAILY NIGERIAN reported that Mr Baraje had disclosed that the group’s meeting with the vice president and later on meet with the president would bring an end to the lingering crisis in the All Progressives Congress, APC.
However, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, Mr Baraje said the ongoing row between the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Senate President Bukola Saraki also poses another setback to the negotiations.
Mr Baraje, therefore, denounced the continuous persecution of their members using state security apparatus.
The statement read in part: “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 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.
“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,” Mr Baraje lamented.
