Members of Akida and Restoration groups of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kaduna State on Friday announced their withdrawal from the party.
The Chairman of the Akida group, Matamaiki Tom-Maiyashi announced the decision of the two groups at a press conference in Kaduna.
He said they left because the APC was not ready to accommodate alternative opinions or allow democracy to take its course in the conduct of party affairs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prominent members of the two groups include Senators Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna Centra) and Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC Kaduna North), Tijjani Ramalan, owner of Liberty Radio and Television stations, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed among others.
Tom-Maiyashi said: “This joint Press Conference is the culmination of extensive reviews and consultations over the state of the All Progressives, Congress (APC) in Kaduna State as well as in the nation.
“As you will appreciate, groups such as ours that had been part of the efforts to keep our Party along the lines of survival, accountability and integrity will be diligent in ensuring that whatever steps we take are consistent with our high sense of responsibility.
“We are satisfied that the positions we have arrived at are in the best interests of our members and the ongoing efforts to create options and strategies that will rid our nation of underserved and avoidable challenges.
“Members of our two groups have decided to leave the APC because it is incapable of accommodating and responding to well-meaning dissent, criticism and demands for inclusiveness and internal democracy,“ Tom-Maiyashi said.
He criticised the party, saying it had failed the millions of people who labored to put it and who expected genuine change.
“We are hereby advising all our teeming members to formalize their withdrawal from the APC.
“We are engaged in serious discussions with parties which share our values and principles towards political collaboration that best suits our interests, and in due course, we will make public the outcome of these discussions.
“We want to commend the resilience and commitment of our members in the face of institutionalized exclusion, marginalization and abuse. We urge them all to keep faith,“ he said.
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