Top figures of opposition political parties on Tuesday converged on Lagos State to hold a closed-door meeting that lasted for several hours.
The highpoint of the meeting was the endorsement of the proposed merger of opposition parties in the country by the 10 governors from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) who were in attendance.
The governors from the opposition parties who attended the meeting, held at the Lagos House, Marina, include Kashim Shettima of Borno, Tanko Almakura of Nassarawa, Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Rochas Okorocha of Imo, Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Senator Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo, Abdulaseez Yari of Zamfara and Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe, who was represented by Senator Jejere Alkali. Some of the governors reportedly arrived in Lagos on Monday for the talks.
In a communiqué released after the meeting, which was read by Governor of Borno, Kashim Shettima, the governors revealed that they had reviewed the situation of the country and were concerned with its pathetic state.
They said they have, therefore, resolved to collectively rescue the country and that they are desperate to see this happen. Shettima confirmed that the endorsement of the merger plan was supported unanimously by all the governors.
“Nigeria is greater than all of us and we have a duty to make it work for our people and the future of our children yet unborn,”
On his part, Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, confirmed that his party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), was involved in the merger talks and process because of the immediate need to wrestle for the development of the country from the ruling party.
While Governor Fashola explained that other governors who believe in the merging of the political parties as a means to the progress of the country and were absent at the meeting would attend subsequent meetings, Governor Fayemi said the merger is aimed at rescuing the country from bad governance.
Illustrating his explanation with the massive turnout of politicians from the opposition parties and the geopolitical zones of the country, Fayemi expressed optimism that for the first time since plans for the merger began, this particular one would be successful.
Representative of Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State, Senator Jejere noted that the merger would bring an end to the continuous ruling of the country by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.
According to him, the PDP has remained a failure since 1999 when it has held on to power.
The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) had earlier, on Tuesday, appealed for support from its members in the North West on its plan to merge with other political parties.
The appeal came from Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, the chairman of the party’s National Rebuilding and Interparty Contact Committee while addressing members of the party at a meeting in Kaduna.
He said the ANPP would not accept any pre-condition for the merger, adding that the Kaduna meeting was aimed at taking a common stand on the merger process, so whatever decisions reached at the meeting would help guide ANPP’s contribution and final stand on the matter.
He said that the ANPP would undertake a national survey to determine its strengths in each geopolitical zone and on ways to fund its activities, adding that it would also enable the party to identify party leaders who would be effective and versatile before and after merger.
“The ANPP is presently undergoing transformation and if all opposition parties involved reach a successful conclusion, ANPP will definitely be transformed,” he said.
“We would have had the interparty tour in all the states but because of the April deadline given by opposition parties, we have decided to have it in the four geopolitical zones simultaneously today. After this, conclusion would be drawn on the way forward with all the opposition parties involved.”
Former Governor of Zamfara State and current Senator, Sani Yerima, used the opportunity to deny the rumour that he was defecting to the PDP, saying “I have been a pioneer member of ANPP since 1999 and I will remain in ANPP without doubt.”
