• ACN, CPC, APGA, ANPP vow to ‘fix’ Nigeria

IT was one objective that drew the governors from different parts of the country. It is a goal that has blurred their disparate political leanings: An urgent task to rout the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Nine governors and a representative of another one were in Lagos Tuesday to support the merger of political parties in respect of the general elections in 2015.

Indeed, after a special meeting hosted by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that lasted over six hours, the governors endorsed the proposed merger of parties against the ruling PDP.

The roll call included ACN governors like Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos State), Raufu Aregbesola (Osun State), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun State), Kayode Fayemi ( Ekiti State) and Abiola Ajimobi ( Oyo State).

From the other parties were the Governor of Imo State Owelle Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Zamfara State Governor Abdul Aziz Yari of the ANPP, and Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

The Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of the ANPP was represented by Senator Jejere Alkali.

Fashola described the gathering as “a meeting about our concerns on Nigeria and the way forward.”

The governor of Zamfara, Yari echoed Fashola’s views but added that the meeting and decisions reached were actually “to fix Nigeria in the right perspective. The PDP is something else and if we as opposition say that we are right in looking for a merger to face PDP, then there must be a point there. I will like to know how many people who are happy since 1999 till date. It is therefore a duty for all of us as leaders to drive our people right and we believe that the PDP has done less. We have the idea , the knowledge and we have the progressive ideas to move the country forward. If people say that we intend to move the PDP out of power, yes we are ready to do that.”

The Borno State Governor, Shettima who briefed journalists on the decisions reached by the governors, said: “We endorse the merger to rescue Nigeria. We, the Governors of Borno, Ekiti, Imo, Lagos, Nassarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Yobe and Zamfara States rose from a meeting at Lagos House, Marina today, Tuesday, February 5, 2013. Having reviewed the situation in our country, we resolved that to rescue Nigeria is a task that must be done.

“As progressive and patriotic leaders of our people across party, religious and geo-political zones, we are extremely concerned about the state of the nation and we put our heads together in the interest of our people to deliberate on what can be done to rescue our country.

“As governors, we fully endorse the merger initiatives already commenced by our various political parties and we will put our full weight behind these efforts. Nigeria is greater than all of us , we have a duty to make it work for our people and future of our children yet unborn.”

Okorocha, whose party APGA has not been very vocal on the merger talks, noted : “ The merger has become very necessary in order to save our democracy and the likelihood of turning Nigeria into a one party state, which will not augur well for democracy. I personally endorse this movement and this new merger at least to rescue the nation. We are on a rescue mission here to make sure Nigeria gets better. The essence of this whole merger is to make Nigeria a better nation.”

On the prospect of the success of the merger, Fashola said: “Well, the commitment that we bring to the table will certainly override any skepticism. I am convinced here that the full weight of 10 of us governors and many more who unfortunately could not make it today, is a much stronger force. The underlying reason is clearly how to make this country a better place, this is not the best that this country can have and we intend to deliver Nigeria’s best.”

In his response, Amosun said that he believed that “ a lot of other people will come on board once they see our sincerity and that is why we are not taking this lightly, we are very determined and I am sure that with the support of all Nigerians, this merger will work.”

An attempt by the opposition parties to merge started in 2010 in Benin City, Edo State where several notable politicians across the country met to form an alliance that they said would enable them to wrestle power from the PDP in the 2011 elections.

At the gathering were former presidential aspirant of ANPP, Harry Akande; notable leaders of Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo; and over 50 other political chieftains across the country from APGA, Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA), Alliance for Democracy (AD), CPC and the National Reformation Party (NRP).

The purpose was to form a strong opposition to fight the PDP in the 2011 presidential elections.

After the collapse of the first move ACN and CPC commenced another move to merge some months to the 2011 elections but the arrangement also collapsed due to some disagreements between both parties.

While ACN accused CPC of being too rigid in the discussion, CPC also faulted ACN of nursing inordinate ambition that eventually led to the collapse of the 2011 merger talks.

Recently, the ACN commenced another move towards merger talks when it appointed a 19-member committee led by Chief Tom Ikimi to negotiate its planned merger with CPC and ANPP.

On the committee are Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Fashola and Aregbesola, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyawu, Senator George Akume and Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa .

Others are Senator Lawal Shuaibu, Chief Audu Ogbe, Chief Achike Udenwa, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Senator Chris Ngige, Dr. Usman Bugaje, Hadjia Rabiat Eshak, Dr. Ibrahim Lame, Alhaji Yusuf Ali and Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

ACN said the appointment of the committee was an indication of its total commitment to making the merger a reality.

It said there was no going back on the party’s determination to work with the CPC and the ANPP to rescue and salvage Nigeria.

According to ACN, the merger is not about the ACN, CPC or ANPP, but about Nigeria, which is tottering on the edge of disaster due mainly to the lack of leadership and failure of governance by the ruling PDP since 1999. It descried the merger of the three parties as a ‘Noah’s Ark’ which all Nigerians who are tired of the endless drift of the country must enter into.

“This is not about winning power at the centre at all costs, as the naysayers will want Nigerians to believe. It is about putting the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians above everything else”, the party said.