The crack in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened as a result of the fallout of the ongoing membership revalidation exercise in the country, Global Upfront Newspapers (GUN) has learnt.
The exercise, which was officially meant to validate and update membership register of the party, has since been discovered to be tactically designed to frustrate the Presidential ambition of the former Governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by edging out his supporters across the country.
Asuwaju Tinubu, who has been under tremendous pressure from his supporters since the exercise started to fight back, has chosen to watch and see the full direction of the journey first before acting.
GUN learnt that although three of his strong allies, two former National Chairmen, Chief Bisi Akande and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Minister of Information, Chief Lai Mohammed, have spoken calling for the cancellation of the revalidation exercise, Tinubu has chosen ‘Sidon look’ attitude.
He however succumbed to pressure last week and allowed his lieutenants to open talks with the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), not necessarily for merger for now but for partnership that could translate to merger looking ahead.
Three loyal Governors of Tinubu and other bigwigs have began discussions with some PDP leaders in the South West region. The first discussion opened last weekend.
The Political Advisers to one of the Governor’s who brokered the top initial meeting was heard applauding the meeting. swearing that “we cannot be alive and allow them humiliate Asiwaju without paying a huge price,” referring to APC leadership.
Our source said that the meeting, took place in Lagos in one of the Governor’s guests houses, the assurances of Tinubu, Akande and Segun Osoba were received and are expected to be in subsequent meetings.
Details of the meeting is still sketchy but our source said that the target is to ensure that APC lose out entirely in the South West, Kwara and Kogi state.
On why they chose PDP despite the age long antagonism between them and Tinubu, the source said that any deal with any other party will not yield the desired result at national level as PDP is the only party that win Presidency as APC disintegrates.
A close APC source said that the interim Chairman of the party and Governor of Yobe State, Governor Mai Buni, has a single agenda of removing Tinubu’s control of the party structure as he strives to strengthen President Muhammadu Buhari’s core base in APC, the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC), which is not strong nationally.
Rather than try to appease Tinubu, who is seen as the pillar of the party, Buni group prefers scouting for more members outside because they believe that Tinubu will hear nothing but his Presidential ambition which the party is not disposed for.
Sources said that Governor Buni has also met brick walls in his journey into PDP Governors over defection to his party. But rather than give up, he indulges in propaganda, claiming that every PDP person is moving to him, when in truth it’s the other way. He wants to be seen to be working.
Most PDP leaders approached have been wondering which of the APC they expect them to join, the Buhari/Buni CPC group, the Fayemi/Fashola/Él Rufai group or the Tinubu/ACN group.
They pointed out that Ebonyi State Governor, Engr Dave Umahi, who recently joined the Buhari/Buni CPC group has been finding it difficult to relate with the other groups who see his entry as ambition driven.
When contacted, none of the two parties, PDP and APC, were willing to speak on the matter.
But the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, gave a tacit confirmation on Tuesday when he met with the party’s leadership in the House of Representatives.
According to Secondus, “we don’t deal on propaganda. None of our Governors is moving to APC. Instead we are talking with theirs. But we don’t make noise.”