The governing All progressives Congress (APC) has said it would not be jittery over the reported moves by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and other leading opposition political parties to merge and form a formidable force ahead of the 2027 polls.
The reported proposed merger involved a coalition of opposition political parties comprising PDP, NNPP, Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Party (ADC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The movement tagged; ‘Coalition of Concerned Political Parties (CCPP)’ was said to have been formed in Abuja Wednesday at a meeting attended by leaders of the seven political parties at the national secretariat of the SDP.
The initiative is believed to have been pre-empted by the former vice-president and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, who had earlier called on opposition parties to come together to wrestle power from the APC in the 2027 polls.
Blueprint gathered that speaking on the need for the Coalition, the national chairman of the SDP, Shehu Gabam, said: “We looked into the issue of the judiciary. The judiciary is the last hope of the common man if it still stands.
“We are worried about the level of instability the country is going through. If you look at recent developments in Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kano, and Plateau states, it is very clear that the judiciary must exercise extreme caution with some of its decisions.
“The judiciary should strengthen their conviction towards delivering judgements that can stand the test of time. They should not allow us politicians to infiltrate their rank, sanity, and capacity to deliver judgements that are internationally
sound and can be recognised.”
Speaking on behalf of the acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, the acting national secretary of the PDP, Setonji Koshoedo, said the newly formed Coalition would serve as a formidable force in opposition to the current government.
However, when asked at a press conference Thursday in Abuja, APC’s national publicity secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, said there was nothing out of the ordinary in the move since the APC was a product of a merger of political parties of like minds prior to the 2015 polls.
Morka gave the assurance that the APC had the wherewithal to withstand any gang-up by opposition political parties in the country.
He said: “We also read the report of conversations around the intention of some political parties to come together. We are not concerned about that. Whatever they (opposition) do is on them. It is up to them to justify themselves before Nigerians.”
The APC spokesman also gave the assurance that the governing party would ensure that it enjoyed the support of Nigerians through the provision of the dividends of democracy.
