The merger proposal put forth by Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in 2023 has been deemed a good idea worthy of consideration by the Labour Party.
The New Nigeria People’s Party, however, stated that it could only approve the plan in exchange for Atiku’s backing of Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, in his bid to unseat the current All Progressives Congress in 2027.
In response to Atiku’s suggestion on Tuesday that opposition parties combine in order to unseat the APC, the main opposition parties responded.
According to reports, Atiku proposed the merger when hosting the Nigerian Inter-Party Advisory Council’s National Executive Committee.
The former vice president issued a cautionary note about the possibility that Nigeria would turn into a one-party state.
“We have all witnessed how the APC is progressively transforming Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship,” he remarked. Our democracy will suffer and future generations will be impacted if we do not unite to oppose the policies that the ruling party is attempting to implement.
Atiku’s call is a good idea that every Nigerian should consider, according to Obiora Ifoh, the acting National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, who made this statement in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
“Every Nigerian will consider a good proposition that is meant to remove the Octopus in power because they are not Democrats,” Ifoh stated in response to Atiku’s request.
“A real democracy is something that every Nigerian wants to see happen. The current state of affairs is far from democratic. Why not, then, if opposition components are proposing to guarantee the installation of democracy? A careful consideration of that preposition is required. We welcome anything that will allow Nigerians to experience democracy.
However, Atiku’s call was characterized by the NNPP as sentimental and post-mortem medicine.
Yakubu Shendam, the party’s national publicity secretary, stated that the NNPP was not interested in any merger until it would help Kwankwaso win the presidency.
“This is like medicine after death,” Shendam remarked. If they collaborate in the future, it shouldn’t be due to feelings. We are proceeding because we possess a gladiator capable of capturing Nigeria.
“We think that in order to win the election, people must be asked for support from all sides. On the other hand, we think Kwankwaso alone can lead Nigeria in 2027.
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However, that does not imply that we are not searching for players to join our team, such as Atiku. Since Atiku is now retiring, he should back Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso in the event of a merger, which should happen with the NNPP.
We feel at ease as a party with someone like Rabiu Kwankwaso as our national leader, but we don’t want to team up with those who are acting irrationally. If Atiku wishes to be relevant in 2027, we are urging him to join forces with Kwankwaso as an elder brother.
In the meantime, Atiku’s demand for opposition parties to unite against the ruling party did not seem to affect or threaten the ruling APC.
According to Bala Ibrahim, the APC’s director of publicity, “How and why should we (be threatened)? Both in the courts and in the public eye, Atiku has received terrible reviews. How does Atiku and his party possess the ability to make the ruling party feel threatened?
In Nigeria’s perspective, the PDP is unimportant. The PDP and Atiku lack the ability to terrorize the ruling party, particularly a progressive one.
