ν PDP, LP, NNPP divided over formation of coalition to challenge APC
From Fred Itua, Ndubuisi Orji, Ada Nnamani and Okwe Obi, Abuja
Plans by Nigeria’s three main opposition parties to form a formidable force ahead of the 2027 general elections in a bid to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have hit a cul-de-sac, as key actors in the on-going arrangements are unwilling to shift grounds.
In separate interviews with Saturday Sun, leaders of the three main opposition parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), expressed divergent views on the proposed merger. While some admitted that moves were underway, others dismissed the ongoing talks as unrealistic.
Some analysts have also noted that the individual presidential ambition of each of the major actors in the three opposition parties – Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP – is a major reason the planned merger might not materialize.
A national official of the PDP, Timothy Osadolor, said suggestions by stakeholders for a merger between the major opposition party with other parties were currently a subject of discourse in the party.
Osadolor, who is currently the Deputy National Youth leader, told Saturday Sun that there is no consensus yet on the issue within the PDP, noting that party leaders have divergent views on the issue. He disclosed that in due course, the issue would be tabled before the party’s National Executive Coming (NEC), where a decision will be taken.
His words: “It is officially on the table. There are those in favour and those who are not in agreement. It is already an issue on the table. And the NEC will look into it, as suggested by the Waziri Adamawa (Atiku Abubakar) himself.”
Osadolor, while speaking in support of the proposal for the merger of opposition parties, told Saturday Sun that “it is something that all well meaning Nigerians should embrace, because at the end of the day having a plethora of opposition political parties will not be enough to checkmate the APC.
“One will expect that all these mushroom parties would aggregate themselves and go into alliance with the PDP so that we will have a more robust opposition party that will wrestle power from the APC. “We need a formidable force to be able to wrestle power from APC. You need a force that can aggregate itself into one party unit. That is why PDP’s offer for a merger, as being led by the Waziri himself is a welcome development. I want all these politicians to see beyond their noses and personal interests and look at the bigger picture.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report. But contrary to popular views, the NNPP has ruled out merger plans with any of the political parties ahead of the 2027 presidential polls for now.
NNPP National Secretary, Dipo Olayoku, who spoke to Saturday Sun, said it was too early for NNPP leaders to discuss any merger. Olayoku said: “For now, that one is not on the table. You know we just came out of an election and we are still trying to settle down.
“The court just read the judgement on Kano State. Until all those issues are settled, I don’t think any party will be talking about a merger. “The only collaboration we are interested in is a collaboration on how to move the country forward.” Prof Pat Utomi, a chieftain of the Labour Party, confirmed that the presidential candidates of the major opposition parties in the 2023 presidential poll have agreed to form a mega party. The candidates are Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of LP, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP. Though Utomi’s claims seem not to in line with the position of his party, he insisted that the moves had reached an advanced stage.
He noted, however, that talks about a possible consensus candidate have not been held. “No, we’re not talking about candidates now. We’re talking about what the party will look like, the values that the party will stand for, the policies that the party will stand for, a national strategy.
“Let’s look at how our country can be made to work for everybody. And let’s create a political party that can bring the issues to the fore for all the Nigerian people to have the kind of consensus on how to solve problems.
“If we have that consensus, we will find Nigerians who can provide leadership positions and the provision of those positions will not be about what they get for themselves because this narcissism is a cancer that is tearing Nigerian politics down.”
His statement does not align with that of his party’s spokesman, however. Asked to confirm the merger plans by his party, National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, told Saturday Sun that the Labour Party will not go into any merger with any political party at the moment. The party scribe said LP will work with like minds to wrest powers from the APC in 2027. In his words, what the party was interested in was “an understanding” with like-minded political parties.
“Labour Party will have an understanding with like-minded political parties to invent ways to remove this government in 2027,” he stated. “We can have negotiations, we can have dialogues. It must not end up in a merger. We are not merging. LP is an idealistic political party that has its own distinctive features. “But the general understanding of today is that the government of today has failed Nigerians and they are not living up to the yearnings of millions of Nigerians. And therefore, any understanding or agreement or coalition of thoughts on the removal of the government, and of the party’s involvement, we will abide by it.
“But as it is now, 2027 is very far. All of us should be thinking about governance. We just came back from elections and what everyone should be thinking about and which Labour Party is doing, is providing alternatives to bad governance, doing a thorough critique of what is happening in this country and giving alternatives. The government must run first. Politics is not all about elections. It is also about governance. So this government is just barely eight months old. So we should help Nigerians by giving a thorough guide on how this government can get it right so that Nigerians will stop suffering.
“Just days ago, a lady committed suicide. There are cases of people going into depression all over Nigeria because things are not adding up. The government is just coming up with policies that are not helping matters. So these are the things that we are going to be doing. We are not going to be bothering ourselves with 2027. “We are bothered about good governance which we want to help the government in power to achieve.”