APC: Merger sealed – Sheriff

• Says no cracks anywhere
From ISMAIL OMIPIDAN, Kaduna
Former Borno State Governor and Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has declared that contrary to speculations in some quarters, the merger to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) was a done deal. According to him, it has been sealed.
He said that there is no flexing of muscles among party leaders with their governors, adding: “We have perfected the logo, and there are no individual interest threatening the merger.” Senator Sheriff was reacting to reports that some personalities involved in the merger, including him, have been compromised by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with a view to allegedly polarise the ranks of the ANPP and therefore frustrate the merger.
The former governor, who spoke on phone to Saturday Sun, argued that he has been an apostle of the merger of opposition groups all along, and that those associating him with a purported deal against the merger were being mischievous, he said that mischief makers want to cause division among members representing the parties in the merger talks. Sheriff said: “With the successful conclusion of talks, those who are spreading the rumoured rift between us and our governors should be ashamed of themselves.
We always act in the interest of our party, which we have been nurturing for the past 14 years. Therefore, we cannot do anything inimical to its progress. But we will also not succumb to any blackmail either. “All interests have been adequately balanced in the marriage and fears of perceived hidden individual agenda have been assuaged, without any particular group dominating other parties. Let me stress that there are no more issues that are threatening the total cohesion the merger seeks to achieve.”
While corroborating what ACN spokesman, Lai Mohammed, told journalists at the end of Wednesday’s meeting, the former Borno State governor also said that the merger has already been sealed and that all grey areas would be resolved amicably. He said that party leaders have no points of disagreement with their governors, adding that people should not attempt to put a wedge between them.
TheSun