APC, R-APC Splitting Controversy And Other Newspaper Headlines Today

The crisis currently rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress APC might not be settled at a sooner date as the breakaway faction from the party, the Reformed All Progressives Congress R-APC is refusing to allow talks between it and the Presidency.

Newspapers like NIGERIAN TRIBUNE, THE PUNCH, VANGUARD, THE NATION, DAILY INDEPENDENT, NEW TELEGRAPH and THE GUARDIAN all report the story.

It says the Reformed-All Progressives Congress on Sunday said it was too late for President Muhammadu Buhari to start dangling juicy carrots before its members in order to stop their defection from the ruling APC.

The R-APC, which stated this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kassim Afegbua, took a swipe at the President and the APC.

The APC faction stated that the Buhari government was not a promise keeper because it had not fulfilled what it promised Nigerians during the electioneering in 2014 and 2015. In the last one week, Buhari and the APC had intensified efforts to prevent the defection of the R-APC members.

But the APC, in a statement by its spokesman,  Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, justified the meetings being held by  Buhari and Oshiomhole with the aggrieved party members. He said  the meetings which were being held to persuade aggrieved party members showed that the APC was a responsible party.

Abdullahi said, “What President Muhammadu Buhari and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of our party are doing, persuading every aggrieved members not to leave the party, is what responsible and sensible party leaders would do.

“Party politics is a game of number. And that game is addition. If the PDP had the same presence of mind in 2015, perhaps the calamity that befell them would have been averted.

It is however unclear what would be the turn of events in the new week as to when key leaders of the R-APC including Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Buba Galadima, Afegbua among others will officially declare for the Peoples Democratic Party PDP; touted to be their next move.