ABUJA— Nigerian opposition political parties and second term governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are working from different angles to stop the second term aspiration of President Goodluck Jonathan, it emerged yesterday.

While the opposition parties are fine-tuning plans to crystallize into a single party in the first half of next year, the PDP governors are equally working to stop President Jonathan from achieving a second term for reasons Vanguard learnt, yesterday, were based on self-survival instincts.

Vanguard reliably gathered that unlike in the past when political parties opted for merger with their identities intact, the major opposition parties in the country were ready to shed their identities and confront the ruling party as a coalition.

Plan to form strong coalition to upstage PDP

The parties, which have been meeting frequently on merger talks, are said to have agreed to forgo their individual identities and work as a team toremove the PDP from the seat of power it has been occupying since the return of civilian rule in 1999.

The arrowheads of the new talks-Gen Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, have been strategizing along with other opposition figures to ensure the emergence of a mega party that can give the PDP a good fight in the next poll.

Source/Further reading..... http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/12/presidency-2015-how-buhari-govs-plan-to-stop-jonathan/


I think 2015 is really going to be an interesting election year.

Looking forward 2 2015!!!

[color=soyouquotedme]Motives of the Merger

-Self survival instinct
-Upstage PDP

The motives of this people are scary: The problem with this merger is that all concerned parties have different motives for going into the merger and it will backfire if they eventually dethrone PDP(different vision and ideologies). I hope they are able to put their differences aside this time around though, because this is not the first time they will be talking about merging together and at the end they always fail, I wonder how they will rule a country if they can't set up a single merger(conflict of interests and it will certainly tell on it presidency)

My signature sums up everything, everything boils down to the voters, vote base on merit(the candidate with the possible highest
effectiveness)
[/color]

Mod, please don't hide my post o.

Who are the second term PDP governors involved

I dont care what people really think but I sure do know our problem is not just PDP alone. These 'opposition' groups you see themselves are very much part of the demon haunting us. That's why you find that you are disillusioned where they are in office, they cant blaze that trail of good governance and judicious utilization of resources like they mouth it and the masses yearn for.
The Jonathan may not be a very good choice but I'm yet to see a much better alternative among these oppositions. Before they shed their IDs they must first shed every greed and selfish motive behind their moves.
And northern PDP govs involvement confirms a more Northern than genuine agenda. Same North has been wielding political power without much impact for long like 'born to rule' while the south must produce the resources.
This is even as Nigeria trudges on as one country which basis we can barely define, fraught with so many structural imbalances . . .

Merger or not, gang up or not, I am fully in support of any move to strengthen the opposition parties, weakening tribal or regional politics and creating an alternative. Not until we have an opposition party with almost the same strength as PDP, PDP will not live up to its responsibility as the ruling party. Nigerians should encourage this merger cos PDP's aim is to turn Nigeria into a one party state with its expansionist agenda through the looting of our resources!

When your goal from the outset is simply to upstage PDP, you're already on a wrong thing.

How about a goal that is centered on correcting the failure that Nigeria is and returning us to a glorious state. That would involve more than just discussing who would be fielded to run against Jonathan and what not. It would involve discussions on who would be in the Senate & house. How the wrongs can be corrected. How infrastructure can be developed. How jobs can be created. How security can be provided et al.

Building a party on the basis of upstaging PDP is like going to school so that you can wear uniform.

We must come to the realization that PDP, despite an obvious dismal performance is a very popular party amongst the masses and that's why they keep winning elections. Go to the villages, motor parks and markets across the country and you will see why PDP is popular.

If the new party must tick, then it must focus on building structures for itself and not lamenting on the pages of newspapers about PDP this, PDP that. After all 90% of opposition members were all once PDP . Check El Rufai,(CPC) Okorocha,(APGA) Ribadu,(ACN) Mimiko(Labour) et all. We the masses see all the parties as the same.

PapaBrowne: When your goal from the outset is simply to upstage PDP, you're already on a wrong thing.

How about a goal that is centered on correcting the failure that Nigeria is and returning us to a glorious state. That would involve more than just discussing who would be fielded to run against Jonathan and what not. It would involve discussions on who would be in the Senate & house. How the wrongs can be corrected. How infrastructure can be developed. How jobs can be created. How security can be provided et al.

Building a party on the basis of upstaging PDP is like going to school so that you can wear uniform.

We must come to the realization that PDP, despite an obvious dismal performance is a very popular party amongst the masses and that's why they keep winning elections. Go to the villages, motor parks and markets across the country and you will see why PDP is popular.

If the new party must tick, then it must focus on building structures for itself and not lamenting on the pages of newspapers about PDP this, PDP that. After all 90% of opposition members were all once PDP . Check El Rufai,(CPC) Okorocha,(APGA) Ribadu,(ACN) Mimiko(Labour) et all. We the masses see all the parties as the same.

Well said.

In fact 10000000 likes!

take dat: Merger or not, gang up or not, I am fully in support of any move to strengthen the opposition parties, weakening tribal or regional politics and creating an alternative. Not until we have an opposition party with almost the same strength as PDP, PDP will not live up to its responsibility as the ruling party.

It is a no-brainer. Let some politicians set their egos and differences aside and the PDP is going down hard. let the merger be concluded and two good candidates emerge as early as possible. The 2008 mobilisation for Obama will seem like childsplay abeg. The Politicians should eschew selfishness and embrace National sacrifice this time. Let them play their part patriotically and even they will be shocked by the dedication of Nigerians to remove a terrorist "nest of killers" that has completed Nigeria's loss of glory and secured it descent into a hole on virtually the same level with Somalia.

Hardfact: I dont care what people really think but I sure do know our problem is not just PDP alone. These 'opposition' groups you see themselves are very much part of the demon haunting us. That's why you find that you are disillusioned where they are in office, they cant blaze that trail of good governance and judicious utilization of resources like they mouth it and the masses yearn for.
The Jonathan may not be a very good choice but I'm yet to see a much better alternative among these oppositions. Before they shed their IDs they must first shed every greed and selfish motive behind their moves.
And northern PDP govs involvement confirms a more Northern than genuine agenda. Same North has been wielding political power without much impact for long like 'born to rule' while the south must produce the resources.
This is even as Nigeria trudges on as one country which basis we can barely define, fraught with so many structural imbalances . . .

Let the opposition assume power first, before this your lame excuse!

Gbawe:

It is a no-brainer. Let some politicians set their egos and differences aside and the PDP is going down hard. let the merger be concluded and two good candidates emerge as early as possible. The 2008 mobilisation for Obama will seem like childsplay abeg. The Politicians should eschew selfishness and embrace National sacrifice this time. Let them play their part patriotically and even they will be shocked by the dedication of Nigerians to remove a terrorist "nest of killers" that has completed Nigeria's loss of glory and secured it descent into a hole on virtually the same level with Somalia.

Whatever it takes to remove the nest of killers is good...

Any move to form a formidable force against PDP is welcomed by me. If these guys can set aside individualistic tendencies and come together genuinely, Nigerians will surely give them a chance, though PDP will still control some states but with GEJ making moves to contest in 2015, I believe it gives a formidable opposition a 'slam dunk' chance to kick PDP out of Aso rock.. GEJ will be a very difficult product to sell in 2015 especially in the north, middle-belt and south western states. Thank God he no longer has the "second-term" carrot to danggle around most of the state governors.

Super1759: the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know..
Surely this party merger may be worse than pdp.
I am stil suprise how this will work,when we have two aggressive dictators in the ship

I'll rather choose an aggressive leader who's ready to be aggressive against looters than a "gentle" leader who could call a first class thief, for whatever reason, his benefactor.



Frawzey

GARRI (x7):


Whatever it takes to remove the nest of killers is good...

Indeed. The "boy with no shoe" type of propaganda and spin is not working any more. There is a steely determination to remove the PDP and GEJ similar to how folks felt in the SW at the Nadir of the PDP's control of the region. Nigerians are angry and the situation is critically dire. Some forget GEJ mopped up the vote of the "I voted for GEJ and not PDP" crew. No such naivete in 2015. It is now crystal clear what the "nest of killers" is whether it is led by a moslem, Christian, Yoruba, Hausa or Ijaw man.

kokoA: Any move to form a formidable force against PDP is welcomed by me. If these guys can set aside individualistic tendencies and come together genuinely, Nigerians will surely give them a chance, though PDP will still control some states but with GEJ making moves to contest in 2015, I believe it gives a formidable opposition a 'slam dunk' chance to kick PDP out of Aso rock.. GEJ will be a very difficult product to sell in 2015 especially in the north, middle-belt and south western states. Thank God he no longer has the "second-term" carrot to danggle around most of the state governors.

Very true - and I certainly hope the PDP, full of unprincipled charlatans, will be cowered to give Jonathan the ticket because of the cash GEJ will surely steal and spread around desperately.

Inspecting issues intelligently means we can conclude Nairaland did not make GEJ become the most cursed President in the World. Despite the lies and conspiracies it is not the Yorubas or Hausa/Fulanis who have made GEJ one of the most criticised and openly vilified Presidents/National leader in the world.

We are where we are, for those who don't fool themselves, because many feel the President is a monumental fraud and disappointment - from the celebrity who danced and sang for him to the student who thought a PHD holder ,previously with no shoes, was the messiah.

Those are real occurrences and a sign of of the real feeling of Nigerians , non of us made up, that show the level of dissatisfaction against a leader from a Party that deliberately wants to keep Nigeria down by failing to deliver the basics everyone knows it is more than capable of doing . There will now be many Nigerians, not into political mischief, who simply want a better life and will have concluded "never PDP again".

Removing the PDP , at the centre, through concerted and deliberate effort is the duty of every patriotic Nigerian and I will certainly be involved by the grace of god.

Why is APGA left out in the merger?

gbanikiti: Why is APGA left out in the merger?

Because they are an annex of PDP.

Then how can the opposition succeed in winning the election? Its not gonna be easy you know.

kokoA: Because they are an annex of PDP.

Super1759: the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know..
Surely this party merger may be worse than pdp.
I am stil suprise how this will work,when we have two aggressive dictators in the ship

FALSE .A devil is a devil and an angel remains an angel.

Super1759: [b]the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know..
Surely this party merger may be worse than pdp.
I am still surprise how this will work,when we have two aggressive dictators in the ship[/b]

Point of correction.

(1) Angels, known or unknown can not be degraded to the level of being compared with the devil.
The Angel I do not know, is far better than the devil I know.

(2) You are erroneous by using the word,"surely" to support your open guess.
You can not judge the merger in abstract. you only judge them by what they do.
unless they are there even if it is for 4 years, you can't conclude whether they will be better or worse.

Whether it will work or not will depend on the three players as well as the smaller parties who may want to join the move.
IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH A DEVIL OF 13 YEARS, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A DEMON. I AM SORRY.

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Gbawe:

It is a no-brainer. Let some politicians set their egos and differences aside and the PDP is going down hard. let the merger be concluded and two good candidates emerge as early as possible. The 2008 mobilisation for Obama will seem like childsplay abeg. The Politicians should eschew selfishness and embrace National sacrifice this time. Let them play their part patriotically and even they will be shocked by the dedication of Nigerians to remove a terrorist "nest of killers" that has completed Nigeria's loss of glory and secured it descent into a hole on virtually the same level with Somalia.

Critical!

Clerverly:
Let the opposition assume power first, before this your lame excuse!

No sir! Before opposition find themselves in power they should first tell themselves the truth what they really they want to do with power, clearly and sincerely define their motive and objective, . . . else we might just be flying from frying pan to fire. That should be the best way. Or what makes you think they are so immune from the virus now ravaging the PDP who are now in charge.
Past experience suggests they are more or less birds of same feather.

Hardfact:

No sir! Before opposition find themselves in power they should first tell themselves the truth what they really they want to do with power, clearly and sincerely define their motive and objective, . . . else we might just be flying from frying pan to fire. That should be the best way. Or what makes you think they are so immune from the virus now ravaging the PDP who are now in charge.
Past experience suggests they are more or less birds of same feather.

these guys are yet to form the mega-party and you have already concluded that they are not telling us what they will do differently. Why don't you wait till the new party is born and a manifesto released before you conclude.. They need time to iron out their differences and agree to come under one umbrella first of all.

kokoA: these guys are yet to form the mega-party and you have already concluded that they are not telling us what they will do differently. Why don't you wait till the new party is born and a manifesto released before you conclude.. They need time to iron out their differences and agree to come under one umbrella first of all.

Indeed. Shortly, it will be 14 years of persevering with the PDP since 1999. Since we are at rock bottom, is there no element of minimal ambition about Nigerians that will make us see that we have to look at alternatives seriously? Are we unaware of the saying "only a mad man does things the same way yet expects a different outcome" ?

Super1759: the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know..
Surely this party merger may be worse than pdp.
I am stil suprise how this will work,when we have two aggressive dictators in the ship

Oga Super1759, always [b]beaf[/b]ing anything ACN or CPC, like old times. . . Lol