Posted by Govt of national unity: ANPP won't withdraw case against Yar'Adua - National Secretary on
, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) says it would not withdraw its case against the declaration of President Umar Musa Yar'Adua as winner of the last presidential election. It also defended its participation in the proposed unity government.
The ANPP presidential standard bearer in the last presidential election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari last Saturday, in an interview with the Hausa Service of Radio Deutchewelle, in Bonn, Germany, kicked against the participation of the party in the proposed government, accusing some members of the party of pursuing selfish interests and personal aggrandizement.
Speaking on the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), monitored in Kaduna, on Tuesday, the National Secretary of the ANPP, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo, said that the case against Yar'Adua would continue until a decision to the contrary was taken.
"We will continue with the case until when it is decided that the case should be withdrawn. It is also left for the individual candidates to pursue their cases in court, but the party has a stand in relation to moving the country forward," he said.
He said that Buhari's accusation that the party sold out was baseless, adding that the overwhelming consideration for participation in the proposed government of national unity was to assist in bringing about progress for the country and by extension, Nigerians.
"We laid down our conditions for the interest of the country; a situation where all of us will join hands to help in the government of Yar'Adua and the entire people of Nigeria, where they have found themselves."
The ANPP scribe quickly added, however, that withdrawing the case instituted by its presidential candidate in the last election against President Yar'Adua was not one of the conditions tabled before the government before the party's participation in the proposed government of national unity.
Asked if the court case was likely to be withdrawn by the ANPP, he said that the issue of withdrawal never came up in any of their meetings with the government of President Yar'Adua.
Kumo explained that what transpired, before the decision to participate in Yar'Adua's government was arrived at, was constitutional.
For instance, he said, "we met with all the elders of the party, including our governors. All those who are supposed to be in the caucus, according to the party's constitution, attended the meeting.
"We met and discussed extensively and the resolution reached was that we were satisfied with what the leaders of the party did by accepting the invitation by President Umar Musa Yar'Adua to form a government of national unity for the progress of our people according to the conditions we laid down," the national secretary of ANPP said.
Kumo submitted that the acceptance of ministerial portfolio by members of the party was with the proviso that only credible members of the party should be considered, adding: "We have given the leaders the permission to accept the posts given to them."
On whether Buhari attended the meeting where the decision was taken to participate in the Yar'Adua government, he said the party's presidential candidate was absent.
"He did not attend the meeting. We got a letter of excuse that he would be absent from the leader of his campaign, Alhaji Sule Hamma, that he and Gen. Buhari would not be able to attend the meeting because they had pressing problems that coincide with the time of the meeting. Therefore, they wished us well," Kumo pointed out.
The national secretary, however, said the NEC of the party will meet and that the issues would be tabled before arriving at a final decision.