TheCable

Audu Ogbeh, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has apologised to members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign movement (BBOG) for giving their leaders out as “members” of the party.

Ogbeh, who generated criticism for the group through a statement he made at the declaration of Muhammadu Buhari to contest the 2015 presidential election under the platform of APC, commended BBOG for its role in ensuring that the abducted Chibok schoolgirls are not forgotten.

He  added that the group has helped in keeping the hope of their relatives alive.

“We send our greetings to the Chibok parents. We believe that one day they will be reunited with their children. We commend the Bring Back Our Girls movement led by members of our party for their commitment. They remain the only living witnesses that Nigeria still has a conscience,” he had said last week at Buhari’s declaration.

This prompted a response from presidential spokesmen Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe, who described Ogbeh’s statement as an indication that BBOG was affiliated with the opposition party.

They respectively challenged BBOG to prove its neutrality, urging Nigerians to disregard the movement.

However, Ogbeh noted that the objective of the group could not be likened with that of APC, since most of its members are not politicians. He said they were fighting a just cause and the reference he made to them was only misrepresented.

“I feel obliged to let you know that my statement at our function last week was not intended to paint your group as an APC sub-group,” he said in a statement.

“This is because from what we now know, less than 2 per cent of the group are our party members, but members we value highly.

“The rest of you are not and may not even belong to any political association whatsoever. This is not to say that you have no right to be if you choose to.

“If my statement caused you discomfort, I do apologize. But I reiterate that I have nothing but respect and admiration for you for keeping a six-month vigil and telling the world that the Nigerian conscience is not entirely dead. The world is watching us and making judgements.”