The leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has welcomed the proposed merger of opposition political parties by former vice president and former presidential candidate of the PDP during the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in 2027.
However, the party said while it is open to collaboration, alliance with any of the political parties including the Labour Party, PDP and even the APC, it stated that such arrangement must put into consideration the interest of the citizens and consolidate the gains of Nigeria’s democracy.
Acting national chairman, Abba Kawu Ali, stated this while briefing the press during the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) which was held at the party’s national secretariat on Tuesday.
Reading from a prepared speech which he titled “Call by Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for Merger of Opposition Parties Against All Progressive Congress (APC): Our Stand”, the NNPP chairman described the call by the former president as a welcome development which he said will checkmate “the inordinate drive of the ruling APC towards a one-party state and protecting our hard-earned democracy. Kawu Ali who went through memory lane said the APC came into being as a result of a merger of political parties that pushed the PDP out of power in 2015.
“Just recently, former Vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was reported to have called for a merger of opposition parties as a way of checkmating the inordinate drive of the ruling APC towards a one-party state and protecting our hard-earned democracy. The NNPP sees this call from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as patriotic and a welcome development for which we unreservedly commend him.
“The NNPP, however, has modifications to that collaboration being proposed by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. It is our belief that such an arrangement should be all-encompassing and broad. To the former Vice President’s call, our party notes that this was the same bold initiative which the opposition parties signed up for in 2015 and which enabled the merger that led to the defeat of the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). To that extent, the NNPP is reiterating its position that the former Vice President’s latest call is a proposal we applaud wholeheartedly.
“However, as we stated earlier, while we fully embrace this initiative and applaud it as a matter of necessity, the NNPP is looking at this issue from a much larger perspective and considering all factors inherent in it. Our party, without any iota of doubt, is open to collaboration, alliance and any arrangement with any of or all the political parties including PDP, Labour Party, and APC, so long as such collaboration, alliance or arrangement will be in the utmost interest of the Nigerian people and the protection and consolidation of Nigeria’s democracy.”
Meanwhile, Taraba State NNPP chairman, Dr Umaru Mohammed, has said the party is hopeful of winning its case at the Appeal Court. NNPP is challenging the election of Governor Agbu Kefas at the Appeal Court which will be decided soon.
The Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Jalingo had on September 30, 2023, affirmed the election of Kefas as the governor of Taraba State. A three-man panel of justices, led by Justice G. A. Sunmonu, dismissed the petition filed by the NNPP and its candidate, Sani Yahaya for lacking in merit.
“I can categorically tell you that the judiciary is the commonplace for the common man. What happened at the Tribunal is just a compromise of certain group of persons who do not have the interest of the state at heart but just their own selfish interest. If not, right from tribunal we already have our case. We won the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state without any obstacles. But due to some circumstances and nature of the country, it was not well handled. The Tribunal also did its worst. However, we are looking forward to the appeal and we are happy with the way things are going. The appeal has been fair to all the parties. They have listened to us and the PDP faction that is also challenging us.
“It is now within their jurisdiction to deliver the judgment. From all indication, and if not only for interest of some people that I don’t want to mention, it is very clear that NNPP will take our mandate in Taraba State. We are believing in God that our governorship candidate, Professor Mohammed Sani Yahaya, will emerge as the duly elected governor of Taraba State very soon,” the Taraba State PDP chairman told Nigerian Tribune in Abuja.
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