- Reaches out to PRP, NCP, 13 other political parties
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party has begun to shop for allies among the other political parties in the country, apparently to form a mega alliance against the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The moves by the PDP followed the recent victory of the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee at the Supreme Court over the rival Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff faction, regarding the control of the party machinery at the national level, after the perennial intra-party crisis, which raged for about 18 months.
Our correspondent learnt that the Makarfi-led caretaker committee recently intensified its earlier efforts to bring together the other opposition parties in the country under a mega alliance with the sole aim of upstaging the ruling APC in the 2019 elections in the country.
Towards this end, the PDP, it was gathered, has since been engaging the other opposition political parties in the country, including the Peoples Redemption Party, the National Conscience Party and the KOWA Party in “mega alliance talks.”
The PDP is also said to have reached out to the leadership of some of the newly registered political parties to sell its idea of a mega alliance to oust the ruling APC in 2019 to them.
A committee set up by the PDP and charged with midwifing the mega alliance, it was learnt, had been instructed to resume discussions with the leadership of the 15 political parties involved in the initiative.
Confirming the development in a chat with our correspondent, PRP National Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, disclosed that the major opposition party had been in “constant talks” with his party and 15 other political parties in the country for an alliance.
Musa, a second republic governor of the old Kaduna State, said, “We have been talking with the PDP since the 2015 elections and that’s all I can tell you and we have continued talking. We have been talking with PDP and it is not only PRP that is involved, there are 15 other political parties.”
But the National Chairman of the NCP, Alhaji Tanko Yunus, said his party had yet to be contacted by the PDP for any alliance talk, in spite of the claims in some quarters that the major opposition party was already working with the others.
“We have a very big relationship with the PRP because of identical similarities. PDP has been in talks with the PRP in trying to see what they can do, which they call a common front. Alhaji Balarabe Musa felt uncomfortable when the NCP was not part of the discussions because the NCP has been in the forefront of the struggle for democracy and interested in the masses,” Yunus said.
KOWA party’s candidate in the 2015 presidential election, Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya, vowed that her party would never be part of any alliance with the PDP.
Sonaiya stressed that the PDP agenda was not in tune with the philosophy of her party, adding that they could not work together regarding the 2019 polls.
“That information is far from the truth, it makes no sense. We are not of the same ideology,” she said.
When contacted, the Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, declined to comment.
“I cannot confirm the development now, contact the National Executive Committee,” he said.
But the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP caretaker committee, Dayo Adeyeye, said there was nothing strange or new about such development.
Adeyeye, who was somehow evasive in his response to our correspondent’s inquiries, stressed that political parties would always engage in talks and discussions, especially in the run-up to national elections.
“That is not a big deal. Parties have been approaching one another for alliance over a long time. Parties usually talk to one another for alliances, but for 2019, I don’t know if they will or not,” he said.
WE’RE NOT MOVED -APC
Efforts to get the reaction of the APC to the plan by the PDP to form an alliance with 15 other opposition parties to outshine the opposition in the 2019 general elections, was not successful.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, did not pick several calls made to his phone.
He also did not reply to a text message sent to him as at press time.
But the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, Chief Joe Igbokwe, said though the development was welcome, it would not affect the chances of the ruling party in the 2019 polls.
Igbokwe stressed that the efforts being made by the main opposition party now at forging an alliance against the APC would end in futility, at the end of the day.
He further alleged that the smaller political parties involved in the emerging alliance with the PDP were only in it for mere pecuniary interest.
“Of course, our system allows that. After all, APC emerged as a result of a merger. But let me tell you, there is nothing to worry about that. Apart from the PDP, which other party in this country that is really up to standard in this country? Let me tell you, 90 per cent of them just exist to make money. They are just there to collect money during election and that is what they will do to PDP. They have the money, let them go now. You see, this is the reason we said we should restructure the country to a two-party system. All these parties are just there to make money. Let them do whatever they like, no shaking for APC. We are immovable by them,” he said.
