Opposition parties –Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) – are to run on the same manifesto to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
Leaders of the parties spoke yesterday at the presentation of a book, “2015 manifesto of Nigeria opposition politics”, written by Salihu Muhammed Lukman.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the ACN, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, CPC National Chairman Prince Tony Momoh and ANPP National Chairman Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu spoke in the same vein at the ceremony.
Ogbeh reminded the parties that planning a merger without a manifesto is like boarding an aircraft when the pilot has no flight plans.
Ogbeh, who is the ACN contact committee chairman on the merger talks, noted that the opposition parties are negotiating to fuse not because they simply want offices but because they have an agenda that will bring about the general well-being of Nigerians.
Ogbeh said: “And as we are forming a new alliance, I wish to say that the options before us are not many: rather merge, we’ll rather fuse or perch. Let not the ruling party celebrate its victory or capacity to govern.
“Let there be fair competition. Let there be contest of ideas. Let us put our manifesto together, market them to the public , teach them to our villagers at the lowest level and say this is why we have come together. Not because we want office but because we have an agenda that will bring about the general well-being of the people.
“If we are going to get there at all, we have to look at the issues of future elections. We have to change our focus. Wandering without a manifesto is like boarding an aircraft when the pilot has no flight plan.”
Momoh backed Ogbeh. He said: “I am very happy about the opening remarks of the chairman. I accept all he has said…You must build your party’s promises on your manifesto. What we are doing today is replacing corruption, fraud and indiscipline.”
Other dignitaries at the event are: Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State Alhaji Garuba Gandi, who represented CPC leader Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, House of Representatives Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented ACN Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Chairman Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and ACN National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande, who was represented by Senator Shaibu Lawal.
ACN presidential candidate in the last election Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, among others were there.
Gen. Buhari, according to his representative, has expressed his support for the merger of opposition parties.
“What is left is for us is to finalise the merger process for us to succeed. What Nigerians are asking is that the opposition should merge as soon as possible,” Gen. Buhari was quoted as saying.
Tinubu promised that they would make sacrifices for the progressive alliance to succeed, adding that all that the people require of them is the assurance to sacrifice and for the opposition parties to play their roles.
He recalled that it took the cooperation of the opposition parties to elect Aminu Waziri Tambuwal as Speaker of the House of Representatives against the wish PDP.
“The opposition parties can come together to elect the President of Nigeria,” Tinubu said.
Shekarau said of the book: “As the chairman of ANPP merger contact, it has given us a challenge.”
Onu said the 2015 elections would be a battle between the conservatives and the progressives as people die of deprivation daily since the 14 years that the PDP has been in power.
He said for the suffering Nigerian children to have the basic needs, the progressives must vote the conservatives out of power.
“I want to say that all that Nigerians want is change and we deserve a change. We must do whatever is necessary to give Nigeria that change to earn respect by having the government that will look after the interest of all Nigerians.”
He said his party turned a new leaf to become outright opposition since it pulled out of the Government of National Unity.
Fayemi said people’s concern is how many times the ACN has changed its name, but he quickly added: “I am not a slave of a name.”
He challenged the opposition parties to organise and stop agonizing, adding: “I know that my party is ready and what I heard from CPC, I know that they are ready.”
Aregbesola advised the parties to find answers to the fears and yearnings of Nigerians. He urged opposition parties to craft their manifesto for a merged party in a manner that it will allay the fears of Nigerians.
Tinubu recalled that it was the fierce resistance of the opposition parties that made the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to drop the adoption of electronic voting.
According to him, the resistance was due to the fear of what he called the PDP’s manipulation.
But he submitted that opposition parties would now push for the review of the law to allow the use of electronic voting in subsequent elections.
His words: “The reason for opposition to electronics voting by ACN, ANPP and others at the time was because we were very wary of sophisticated rigging. We were very wary of advanced technological rigging.
“We had seen what had happened in advanced democracy, like the US during the Al Gore and Bush era. More importantly, the issue of electronic voting at the time was being driven by the PDP members in the House. So, we felt, with PDP, the more you look, the less you see and they were driving so vehemently the issue of electronic voting. We knew there was an agenda somewhere. We had to organise our base and we opposed that issue to put that in the electoral law.”
Ogbeh condemned President Goodluck Jonathan for celebrating free and fair election in Ghana whereas in Nigeria people cannot vote electronically.
