Atiku’s aide LP NNPP differ on merger talks

Major opposition parties on Sunday denied being approached by the presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023, Atiku Abubakar, or any of his loyalists regarding a rumoured merger that has been making headlines since last week.

A spokesman for Labour Party’s presidential campaign organisation, Tanko Yunusa, and the National Publicity Secretary of New Nigeria People’s Party, Ladipo Johnson, denied any merger talks with the PDP.

The Deputy National spokesman for the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, had publicly announced on a live political programme that the three leading opposition figures in Nigeria were discussing the possibility of a merger to salvage Nigerians from hunger and insecurity ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The PDP spokesman reiterated that the trio of Atiku, Obi, and his counterpart in the NNPP, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, were willing to set aside their differences to form a formidable alliance to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the next election.

Abdullahi’s position was re-echoed by Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, who insisted that the former Vice President had been consistent in his call for a merger or a potential alliance to rescue the country from total collapse.

Ibe disclosed this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Sunday.

He said, “Atiku has been consistent about an alliance of the opposition. His position has become more pertinent than ever because Nigeria, as it is currently under Tinubu’s administration, is on life support. We have had failings of trial and error policies. Hunger is the order of the day, even among his supporters.

“Nobody is happy about the current situation. So that position (alliance) has not changed. We need to put efforts together for the sake of Nigeria and Nigerians to recover the country from these wayfarers. I am talking about Tinubu and his cabinet. That is what it is all about. They are people who have come to loot and put people in perpetual hunger.

“At the moment, poverty is rife. Food inflation is 40 per cent and insecurity is on the rise. The other day, we heard about scores of people killed in Yobe and other places. So every well-meaning leader, especially those in opposition, understands the need to come together to rescue Nigeria and plot a pathway to recover the country from economic malfunction.”

When quizzed if Atiku has opened a channel of communication with the candidates in question, the former VP’s spokesman hesitated before saying such an important discussion was not deliberated on the “pages of newspapers.”

“I will not speak for the other (opposition) leaders. They are capable of speaking for themselves. But as I earlier said, Alhaji Atiku has been consistent and remains consistent in the alliance. I know that is a clarion call for them to come together under an umbrella. It has resonated well with other leaders and discussions are ongoing.

“Make no mistake, it (talks) is not something that will be conducted on the pages of newspapers. Even when you are wooing a woman that you want to marry, there is a process involved. So what is going on now is that process that will inevitably lead to alliance among the other opposition.”

However, the NNPP spokesman told our correspondent that no channel of communication regarding the merger process had been opened between its leadership and the PDP.

According to Johnson, a process must always be in place before such a marriage of convenience can take place.

He said, “Well, we are aware that several people on various occasions have spoken about a possible merger. However, I am not aware of any opening of communication channels to discuss the matter officially. As I always say, we are currently seeking to grow the base of our party.

“You will recall that just two days ago, the National Working Committee of our party had reason to dissolve some of the executive committees of some states and set up caretaker committees so that the process of engineering and rebuilding could occur. It is all in a bid to strengthen and reposition the party.

“We are not saying outright that we shall not work with, merge or marry anyone to wrest power from the ruling party. At the moment, we are busy with our internal affairs. At the right time, we may take a closer look at things if we are approached by anyone. But officially, nothing like that (merger talks) is going on at the moment.”

Ladipo’s reaction comes barely 24 hours after Kwankwaso declared that the PDP no longer exists in Nigeria.

Speaking on Saturday at the inauguration of its renovated party office in Katsina State, the NNPP national leader said derisively that the PDP ‘died’ the day he and his followers departed.

“I wish to remind you that the PDP is dead because we left the party. Since they have gone off course, we decided to leave,” he said.

Kwankwaso also expressed confidence that he would win the 2027 presidential election, stating that the NNPP is ready to take over the presidency and more than the states.

In a similar development, Obi campaign spokesman equally expressed doubt over the rumoured merger, saying his principal would rather focus on consolidating his political base than be distracted by talks of a merger with major opposition candidates.

Obi campaign spokesman equally expressed doubt over the rumoured merger, saying his principal would rather focus on consolidating his political base than be distracted by talks of a merger with major opposition candidates.

Yunusa told our reporter that he suspected that such talks are coming up again because political permutations have begun and the stakes for the 2027 presidential election are high.

Reacting via a phone chat, the interim coordinator of the Obidient Movement said they were flattered by the move, but he insisted the former Anambra governor had learned from the last election’s mistakes and would prefer to build on his structure nationwide.

He said, “I heard about the merger discussion. But what we are interested in doing now basically is to build on our nationwide structure. You can take that one to the bank. In fact, we just want to have the bulk of our people everywhere because some of the things we observed in the last election were our inability to have the right people on the ground.

“We depended on some persons who failed us, but now we want to have our people. I hope you are aware that the Obidient Movement is everywhere. It cuts across political parties. So that makes us bigger and stronger. Some of them are in PDP, APC and everywhere.

“Anybody interested in good governance is an Obidient person because what the movement is up against is bad governance. That is all. We don’t have any agenda apart from that.”

Meanwhile, the senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh has also warned Obi not to dump the party in the race for the 2027 presidential contest.

According to him, those wooing the LP presidential candidate to quit LP are merely pushing him to go on a wild goose chase.

Umeh raised the concerns at last Thursday’s enlarged stakeholders’ meeting of the Labour Party in Umuahia.