- Oyinlola resigns as NIMC chairman
By Abdul Rahman Aliagan
As 2019 political clock thickens, a faction of the aggrieved members of People Democratic Party (PDP) that defected to join All Progressives Congress (APC) known as the new-PDP again at the verge of pulling out of the ruling party as the prominent among them had raised critical questions and demanding attention from President Muhammadu Buhari to avoid further crisis in the party. nPDP said addressing their grievances was critical to the party’s victory in 2019 elections.
Leader of the group, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, made this known while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja after meeting with APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Baraje, showed a letter dated April 27 and entitled ´´Request for Redressing Grievances of Former New PDP Bloc within the APC´´, to the media, said the meeting with the party chairman was to discuss the way forward.
He, however, said that the letter which was copied to President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was written with the best intention and the good of the party.
Baraje said that the bloc was desirous of strengthening the APC, especially now that it had commenced party congresses across the country and other electoral activities ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He added that the desire of members of the group was to see a united, inclusive, cohesive and progressive party, devoid of division, factions, cleavages and tendencies.
´´We envisioned a political party promoting equal rights for all Nigerians and ensuring rapid and even development across the country.
´´There is no gainsaying the fact that the lofty ideas enumerated cannot be attained without ensuring justice for party faithful and citizens.
´´It is an undeniable historical fact that the movement of the former new PDP bloc to form the APC contributed immensely to the victory of the APC in the 2015 elections,´´ he said.
Baraje added that victory may not be achieved in the party if it failed to address fundamental issues confronting it, especially with the crisis that characterised its recent congresses in parts of the country.
The former new PDP bloc in the APC includes eight former governors and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
According to Baraje, most of those in the bloc did not only deliver their states to the APC in 2015, some of the then governors were assigned specific responsibilities to ensure that other states were delivered.
He said that stakeholders of the bloc made unprecedented effort and delivered the entire North-Central to the APC in the 2015 polls.
He, however, added that the bloc was concerned that President Muhammadu Buhari had not acknowledged its efforts.
This, he said, was especially in the face of clear evidence that the total votes scored by APC in states where leaders and members of the bloc held sway, made the difference
Following the letter from the aggrieved APC (nPDP) members, the former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola also sent a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari resigning from his position as chairman of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) board, Oyinlola resigned on Wednesday, May 9, and his letter of resignation has been submitted to the presidency.
In the letter Oyinlola stated that he was charting a new political course which necessitated his decision to resign.
According to him, “Sir, I write to resign my appointment as the chairman of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) with effect from today, 9th May, 2018. “Your Excellency, I must put on record my very deep sense of appreciation for the special privilege and consideration you gave me to serve our fatherland in that capacity. As I stated in my appreciation letter to you shortly after the appointment, the offer was a clear call to service. I gave the job the dedication it deserved and would have loved to continue but I regret to inform Your Excellency that I have a new, greater political engagement that will make that difficult and even impolitic as one of my bosses in the army, I believe you would understand my stand given recent political developments. The training I got as a decorated officer and gentleman precluded me from engaging in any act that could amount to disloyalty and conflict of interest. I am moving on to chart a new course in my politics outside the ruling party and this thus, demands my dropping the NIMC chairmanship.
“I thank you, sir, once again for the great honour and confidence reposed in me. However, there is time to take a job and another time to leave it and move on. For me, the time to work on something else in the interest and service of our people is now.
“I wish Your Excellency good-luck while praying that you will finish well and strong in the service of our country.”