National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bamanga Tukur on Wednesday reacted to the merger by opposition parties in the country, saying the PDP will defeat the newly formed party come 2015.

Parties including the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change, and the All Progressive Grand Alliance, yesterday announced that they have come under one roof to be known as All Progressive Congress, APC.

Speaking shortly after the inauguration, Tom Ikimi, who heads ACN’s merger committee said “At no time in our national life has radical change become more urgent”

“And to meet the challenge, we, the following political parties, namely ACN, ANPP, APGA and CPC have resolved to merge forthwith and become All Progressive Congress and offer to our beleaguered people a recipe for peace and prosperity.

“We resolve to form a political party committed to the principles of internal democracy, focused on serious issues of concern to our people, determined to bring corruption and insecurity to an end, determined to grow our economy and create jobs in their millions through education, housing, agriculture, industrial growth etc, and stop the increasing mood of despair and hopelessness among our people.”

“The resolution of these issues, the restoration of hope, the enthronement of true democratic values for peace, democracy and justice are those concerns which propel us.

“We believe that by these measures only shall we restore our dignity and position of pre-eminence in the comity of nations. This is our pledge.”

The other parties were represented by Annie Okonkwo (APGA), Garba Sadi (CPC), and Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP).

But in his remark, Tukur said the ruling party would apply the talent of Argentine soccer superstar, Lionel Messi, in dealing with the new coalition.

His words: “If you go for a contest, you have the striker. You know Lionel Messi?,” he asked.

“PDP is Messi in that contest. We will dribble them like Messi. Tell them chairman said PDP is the Messi”

 



The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has congratulated the major opposition parties in the country for successfully forming a new platform, All Progressive Congress, APC).
A statement issued on Thursday by Rotimi Fashakin, spokesman of CPC said the new party will rescue “Nigeria from the ruinous hold of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP.”
The party said: “Paradoxically, the new Party so formed shares the same acronym with Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), which is a vehicle for transporting Soldiers for combat.”

“Indeed, the new Party (APC) shall be open to all Nigerian Patriots that are ready to fight against the free-fall-slide-to-the-abyss of the Nigerian state by the PDP’s precipitous rule in the last 13 years.”

“As a Party, we endorse the entry of the All Progressive Congress into Nigeria’s politics as an ideologically based political association that is intrinsically structured to providing an alternative platform for the Nigerian people,” Fashakin said.
Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, has expressed satisfaction over the coming together of the Action Congress of Nigeria {ACN}, All Nigeria Peoples Party {ANPP}, All Progressive Grand Alliance {APGA} and Congress for Progressive Change {CPC} to form a new alliance.
A statement by Osita Okechukwu, spokesman of CNPP while praising the parties for putting aside their difference for the purpose of a new beginning said: “When news filtered in that the governors of the merger political parties met in Lagos few days ago, we said is this real life or is it true that the leaders of the merger political parties can forego their mini-kingdoms in the interest of our dear country.”
“For us the consummation of the merger is a milestone in our march towards true democracy and we salute those who made it possible. History books in liberal democracies throughout history underscore the import of two major political parties.”

“CNPP is therefore, relieved that the birth of APC will no doubt return Nigeria to true democracy, put paid to the inordinate ambition of the leaderless Peoples Democratic Party {PDP} to foist a one party state in our political landscape and rule Nigeria for 60 years, without commensurate performance and fresh ideas, benched only on Do-or-Die tactics.”

“It is our considered view that the stage for 2015 elections is now set, on one hand the conservative PDP with anti-peoples programmes and on the other hand; the APC anchored on the ideological spectrum of center of the left, pro-peoples programmes.”

“We call on other progressive political parties to join the APC in their resolve to halt the dangerous drift of Nigeria into a failed state.”

“Finally, we challenges the Professor Attahiru Jega led Independent National Electoral Commission to set forth at dawn, by jump starting concrete preparations for the 2015 general election; for we will frown at cancellation of elections for the inability of the printer to submit election materials as was the case in the 2011 National Assembly election.”

 



Newly-formed mega party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, will any moment from now announce the composition of its national executive members, Dailypost has learnt.

The four political parties that make up the new alliance are: Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change, All Nigeria Peoples Party and All Progressive Grand Alliance.

It was gathered that the stakeholders of the new party met at a closed door meeting Thursday night, February 7, 2013 to discuss the issue.

Also on the agenda was sharing of principal offices between the four political parties. The four principal offices discussed were said to be: the office of the President, Vice President, Chairman of the new party and the Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

On the issue of Governorship elections, it was resolved to be handled State by State. The gubernatorial candidate will emerge from the party that is the most popular among the four units that formulate the new party.

For instance, where the ACN party is considered more dominant amongst the other parties in the State – the gubernatorial candidate will emerge from the ACN – and then the deputy governor would emerge from the other three less popular parties.
The stakeholders are expected to make a public announcement on which unit will produce the presidential candidate ahead of the 2015 general elections.

Former Head of States and national leader of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday said that the new party coming from the merger of ACN and CPC will pursue a total reformation of the country.

The retired Military General made this known Wednesday at the inauguration of the CPC merger committee in Abuja.

According to Buhari , a flag and logo for the new party, which will be launched in June this year have already been designed.

The merger committee led by former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Garba Gadi, is expected to formalize the ongoing merger talks with the ACN and other opposition parties on issues ranging from manifesto, party flag and logo.

Buhari said: “It is not impossible that the new party is presented to the people by middle of this year after signing the declaration. It should not take more than six weeks for the parties to pursue the matter within their own constitutional context to ensure that the issue is legitimated through the proper procedures and processes of its own organs”.

He added that there was a strong understanding and determination between the two major opposition parties to create a new party with a brand new logo and flag already designed. He said all other materials needed for a smooth operation were already in place.

“The new party will root for proper federation as the basis of the union and for the governance of the country; and should therefore support the restructuring of the country. The 36-state structure of the country is simply not working; and it must therefore be rationalised.

“The party should root for democracy, rule of law and the entrenchment of a democratic culture in the country; and the foundation of the new party should be anchored on the recognition and acceptance that our cultural and religious differences are a blessing and a source of strength, and should not be a cause for disunity”.

“The new party should as a matter of topmost priority begin to tackle and plan for the creation of a new security architecture for the country and possibly for the entire sub-region, a development that may involve the creation of local security networks and the restoration of traditional intelligence gathering techniques to shore up a police force that has obviously failed,” Buhari said.

The Kastina-born politician disclosed that the new party will bring about new work ethic in the public service and ensure accountability in every public office.

While assuring Nigerians that the merger between the CPC and ACN would bring about rapid transformation the country, Buhari charged the Gadi led 18-man committee on CPC merger talks to be focused and see their assignment as a national task as it is an opportunity to build and run a better Nigeria.

His words: “Your task is national, the issue before you now and as you go into your negotiations is fundamentally one that you will negotiate at the best deal for Nigeria. It is essentially a matter of give-and-take: there is nothing sacrosanct about any of the issues you will be called to thrash out, but of course, there is a bottom-line the outlines of which have been giver in the committee’s terms of reference.

“We are not going into a battle; we are going into a friendly game with our brothers who desire for this nation what we desire for. You must always remember to negotiate with respect, understanding and decorum as befits people who are ready and genuinely desirous of merging into one tomorrow,” Buhari added.