The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) may have ran into some difficulties getting  key stakeholders to buy into its reforms, alliance and merger plans.

Indications are that the party is currently facing stiff opposition within its ranks in trying to secure the support of majority of its members over the merger talks.

THISDAY gathered from reliable sources that some leaders of the party though in support of some kind of solidarity among opposition parties, but were not comfortable with the present push for an outright merger which might lead to their loosing influential positions in the party.

There are others  too who feel that the merger and reforms were mere ploy by infiltrators to decimate the party and subsume it under a new nomenclature.

Following some far-reaching proposals already adopted by the negotiating teams,  the CPC has proceeded on nation-wide consultation and sensitisation with its members  with a view to bringing them on board to support the merger plan. 

A top member of the party told THISDAY that the leadership intends to listen to the views of the party supporters at the grassroots before finally convening a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) to consider and take a stand on the way forward.

He said CPC is hoping to use the opportunity to sell its latest idea of transformation and reform of the party’s constitution aimed at attracting new members.

Some of the reforms being proposed by the party seeks to establish internal democratic procedures for all elective positions and bares officers of the party from receiving monetary inducements while in office.
However, it was learnt that conservative elements within the party have gone around mobilising members to oppose the idea and equally resist the new reforms being propose by the Renewal Committee headed by the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El -Rufai.

An inside source told THISDAY that because of the division and lack of overwhelming  support from members,  the party is still  consulting and could not convene the NEC meeting yet.

“They are trying to constitute a stumbling block to the success of efforts of the el-Rufai committee to reposition CPC. However, we have resolved to go ahead with the party reform and merger arrangement despite the resistance of a few retrogressive elements who are bent on frustrating the process, “ the source said.

He said some of these elements within the CPC saw the reform of the party’s constitution and move for a merger with other opposition parties  as a threat to their continued stranglehold on the party and as such were opposed to it.

“It is these elements that thwarted the chances of the party during the 2011 general election and brought the party to its present sorry state,” he said.

Apart from these set of members, there are also opposition coming from aggrieved reneged former national officers  of the party led by Senator Rufai Hanga who are threatening fire should the party go into the planned merger with the Action Congress of Nigerian ( ACN).

Another group, led by the estranged pioneer National Chairman  have viewed the current move by the party for a merger with the ACN “as deceitful, selfish and capable of wiping out the CPC.”

In statement signed by  a member of the group, Alhaji Abubakar Hayatu, they said the merger talk is a mockery of a purported repositioning process being canvassed by the party.

“It is a mockery  for one to think of propagating a new constitution and code of conduct for the party at a point a lot of issues concerning the party is still undergoing legal test.

“While we are in support of broadening the political base, widening the frontiers and consolidating the party, such moves should be done on sincere a basis so that the generality of our members and supporters can benefit. For any sincere progress to be made honest efforts should be made to reconcile the multiple crises in the party.

“From our findings, it was revealed that the move to merge the party and dissolve into the ACN is one of the grand designs to exterminate the CPC and disorganise the political strength and cohesion of the North seen as the only sincere challenger the PDP come 2015.

“The ACN is in no doubt a solid political party in the South-west and therefore the choice of every weak opposition political party to align with it. But their strength was not achieved by going into alliances but by putting their house in order and ensuring that round pegs are put in round holes.

“In the case of our present CPC the fifth columnists within are busy expelling all those that would ensure victory for us and repositioning the party with people who can be considered to be total visitors to the original philosophy of the party, “ he said.

Also opposing the move by the party, the former National Publicity Secretary of the party and an ally of Hanga, Chief Dennis Aghanya in a interview with THISDAY, threatened that the group would go to court to challenge any attempt to amend the constitution of CPC in order to actualise the merger.
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/cpc-merger-plan-faces-stiff-challenge/122771/#.UDXx5cTRf8U.twitter

Do they need bombs to settle their face-off?

I have always known there are PDP-planted fifth columnists in CPC.

What they don't know is they tend to benefit more from this merger. ACN has better structure and not so interested in national power like CPC. ACN is the one doing them favour.

I knew right from the onset that the merger was only a dream.

i dey laugh ooooooooooooo

na stakeholders abi na shareholders

Who is CPC and who is ACN? Answer: They are all PDP. The teacher is laughing o

geogina1234: i dey laugh ooooooooooooo

why u no go laugh agent of pdp like u.

Coming from THISDAY, the PDP newspaper

This CPC/ACN meerger is really giving Bamanga, Anenih & co sleepless nights

I HOPE JONALOOTER, IS SNORING AND DREAMING WELL IN HIS SLEEP, AHEAD OF 2015

It can never work

Join unaab info to meet students nd knw whats hapening within nd outside the campus without getting there

The PDP planted agent in both parties will always jeopardize initiative.
Reason best known to all of you reading this post.

Everyday and night, Nigerian politicians are snoring and dream deeper, sinking deeper zzz......zzzz......zzzz..... Abeg make dem carry go AND STOP SNORING INTO OUR EARS JARE *FURIOUS*

Even if the merger succeed, ACN will have a hell of a time convincing its teeming followers in the southwest, who understandably currently have a serious aspersion for anything north because of boko haram. Tinubu needs to think really deep on the merger, cos I hope he knows there may be surprises for him if they present a northern muslim as the flagbearer. Currently people see an average northern muslim as boko haram (which may not be TRUE anyway) in the southwest. This merger will make ACN loose its footings in the southwest, religion, I hope the proponents know, is still a factor in the nigeria politics.

That is just a tip of the ice berg.

Their so called merger before the 2011 general elections collapsed because there wasn't ample time to sort out their differences but now till 2015 is still a long time to iron out their issues/differences before the next general elections.

THE ONLY WAY THIS MERGER WILL DEFEAT PDP IS IF THEY ALLOW BUHARI BE THEIR FLAG-BEARER

buhari will go any length to get a merger that can champion his 'bornn to rule' ideas. ACN should beware of the CPC cos dey are surely gonna spill the dog and baboon blood come 2015 cos dey aint going to win.

What we have in the opposition parties are STEAKholders/FAKEholders, even Stevie Wonder can see that the so call merger is an illusion.

ACN, CPC AND PDP.
What's the difference please...

Is there an allowance for independent candidates in the Nigerian setting? Enough of leaders tied to the apron strings of cliques of cabals, oil thieves and whatnot.

The sophisticated nature of their greediness won't allow them to compromise.

I know that the personal interests of personalities involved will not allow the merger to see the day light.PDP members must be smiling,laughing and shaking their head right now.

What's makes cpc think they can unseat pdp come 2015 without reaching out? Even after merging with acn they still have an uphill task ahead of them if they are to unseat pdp, elections r not won by talk, this people should start reaching out to other regions and not just the southwest if they really want
to unseat pdp.

ACN would do itself in if it merges with CPC. It would loose ground to PDP in its stronghold if it marries CPC.
Oshiomole knew better. The CPC candidate in Edo State dumped his ambition and threw his weight behind Oshiomole claiming that ACN and CPC are working together. He claimed Buhari was going to visit the state to campaign for Oshiomole.
The offer was rejected and turned down immediately by the oshiomole camp.
Buhari is a big liability in the south and the ACN should be ready to loose their fervour if they enter such a merger!

wat is d essence of the merger. are they the alternative 2 our problems

political game

All these ones are just after the OIL MONEY otherwise which other stake are they worried about? Tinubu is not ready to lose any money same goes for Ayotallah Buhari and the h0m0sexual El rufai... Thieves

Their merger should not fail. I expect them to merge and nominate someone better than GEJ. I am yet to see such a candidate, that can buckle the Sandals of GEJ. Buhari is politically dead. Tinubu is politically in limbo. El-Rufai has gone loco on twitter. Sanusi too north-extreme in his belief system. I look around in all honesty, I see nothing good coming out of the abortion called Merger.

PapaBrowne: ACN would do itself in if it merges with CPC. It would loose ground to PDP in its stronghold if it marries CPC.
Oshiomole knew better. The CPC candidate in Edo State dumped his ambition and threw his weight behind Oshiomole claiming that ACN and CPC are working together. He claimed Buhari was going to visit the state to campaign for Oshiomole.
The offer was rejected and turned down immediately by the oshiomole camp.
Buhari is a big liability in the south and the ACN should be ready to loose their fervour if they enter such a merger!

word