African Peoples Congress' link to PDP exposed

. As embattled group alleges assassination plot against its leaders

By Ade Alade

What appears to be the link between the African Peoples Congress and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP came to the open yesterday as a statement issued by the group alleging assassination plot against its leaders were copied to top PDP leaders.

The group is believed to be fronting for the PDP to frustrate the registration of All Progressives Congress, APC, which is a conglomeration of major opposition political parties such as Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. The controversial group has however denied any link with the PDP even as its National Chairman, Onyinye Ikeagwuonu on Thursday addressed a press briefing to unveil its logo, manifesto and constitution.

Barely 24 hours after it tried to erase the public impression that it is a tool in the hands of PDP, its official mailing list revealed the close tie between it and PDP leaders. A statement signed by its acting publicity secretary, one Barr. Sa'id Balogun and mailed to media houses through the group's e-mail address, theapcparty@gmail.com were also sent to e-mail addresses of prominent PDP leaders and the party.

Some of them include the immediate past National Chairman of the PDP, Kawu Baraje (kawubaraje@hotmail.com), former information minister, John Odey (jaodey@gmail.com), PDP's national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh (metuholisa@yahoo.co.uk), as well as the official e-mail addresses of PDP and its fo eignchapter(officialpdp@yahoo.co.uk;pdpfcinternational@yahoo.com).

Several calls made to the GSM number on the group's press statement (08035403883) were neither answered nor returned. In the statement that gave the group out, it alleged that some faceless persons were after its leaders.

"The African People's Congress has uncovered plots by some faceless persons believed to be inspired by desperate elements in the so-called merger group to attack and possibly eliminate key officers of the African Peoples Congress (APC).

"This came to light barely twenty four hours after APC, its National Headquarter, logo, manifesto and constitution were unveiled to Nigerians and indeed Africa.

"After the elaborate event and appraisal meetings and stakeholders' interactions that followed at the National headquarter, most officers of the party left the secretariat late yesterday.

At 10.15pm when an officer of the party, Hon Dan Iloabanafo and some administrative staff were getting ready to close the Secretariat for the day, two men came through the backside of the office claiming they wanted to register as members of the party, a feature that has become common place in the secretariat, but Iloabanafo advised them to come back the next day or any other week day.

The hoodlums insisted they preferred to be registered immediately, and while the party officer was trying to explain things to them, they pulled out guns and demanded the whereabouts of the Acting Chairman who had left the Secretariat earlier. "After moving from one office to the other and satisfying themselves that the Acting Chairman was not in the office, the gunmen left ,muttering words that were barely audible but suggested that there were other highly placed persons complicit in the plot but preferred to be kept out of the plot.

"Against this backdrop, the APC wishes to reiterate that no amount of intimidation or harassments can deter it from pursuing its lofty goals and aspirations in the interest of the good people of Nigeria", the release stated.

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