One of the major
political events observers of the power game in Nigeria are looking
forward to in 2013 is the result of the ongoing merger talks among
opposition political parties in the country.
It is believed that if it succeeds, the
proposed mega party will give the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
serious run for its money and size.
The merger of the parties is one of the
strategies being canvassed by some politicians to defeat the ruling PDP
which has dominated power since the advent of the present democracy in
1999.
While more opposition parties are said
to be interested in joining the move to form a mega party, the three
leading opposition political parties in the country namely, Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the
All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) may have decided to drop their
identities by April 2013, when talks on their proposed merger are
expected to be completed.
Few days back, the Chairman of the ANPP
National Rebuilding and Interparty Contact Committee, Mallam Ibrahim
Shekarau, told journalists in Abuja that the merger talks between ACN,
CPC and ANPP had reached the last stage.
Shekarau, a former governor of Kano
State, allayed fears that the talk may collapse again when he announced
that the chieftains of the three parties had decided to forget their
individual ambitions to make the fusion a success.
“Certainly, we are going to submit our
party certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission
after our merger. That is what a merger means. The Electoral Law is so
clear on the procedure for a merger.
“If we decide to merge, the next thing
is that we go back to our parties, call National Executive Committee
meeting, and discuss with the members, in the presence of INEC
officials. Then, you can call congress and that is all.
“The difference now is to pass a
resolution and all this will be simultaneously done (by the three
parties) and we will inform INEC about it. When that is done, INEC has
no choice than to register your new identity.”
The National Publicity Secretaries of
CPC and ACN, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in separate
interviews recently confirmed Shekarau’s claim that a merger of the
three leading opposition parties is in the offing.
“Yes, we are ready to lose our identity
for the sake of the bigger party that is capable of sacking the PDP. My
National Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh, has said it several times that he
is ready to lose his position as well.
“I’m also ready for that, if that will
enable us form a party that will be big enough to confront and remove
the PDP from the central government,” Fashakin said.
“ACN is committed to getting a single platform of all opposition political parties that will drive the PDP out of power.
“All I can tell you is that the modalities are being worked out. And we are committed to it,” Mohammed said.
Few weeks back, another leading
opposition party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) also
announced its readiness to be part of the merger move. The party said
though it is poised to displace the PDP in 2015, it will not mind
working with other oppositin parties to achieve that.
The party’s national chairman, Victor
Umeh, made the announcement when asked if his party is part of the
merger talk currently going on. He said the APGA is not opposed to the
move and will surely be part of it.
There are also talks that the paties may
have already put forward some names including but not limited to Action
Congress for Progressive Change, (ACPC) and Action Congress Alliance,
(ACA) as possible names that would be used to consummate the alliance.
The parties are also said to be
expediting plans to hold their national conventions where the alliance
will be endorsed by their members. Sources said all things being equal,
the conventions will hold very early in the new year. If this happens,
then a new political party will surely be born in 2013.
TheNation
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