Crisis looms in PDP over coalition, merger talks with NNPP, SDP, others
By Emma Ogbuehi
Another round crisis appears imminent in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as discordant voices arise following reported moves by the party having coalition or merger talks with other political organizations. The coalition talks which seemed to have the buy-in of the National Secretary and the Acting National Chairman, made headlines on Wednesday.
However, contrary to trending impressions, PDP has dissociated itself from discussions with other opposition parties.
Media reports had indicated that a group of seven opposition political parties on Wednesday formed a new coalition in a bid to strengthen democracy in the country and checkmate the perceived excesses of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), especially the suspected moves at foisting a one-party system on Nigerians.
The movement tagged the Coalition of Concerned Political Parties was said to have been formed in Abuja at a meeting attended by leaders of the political parties at the National Secretariat of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
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The alleged coalition comprised the PDP, African Democratic Congress (ADC), SDP, Peoples Allied Movement (PAM), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The acting National Secretary of the PDP, Setonji Koshoedo, who represented the acting party’s national chairman, Umar Damagum, was quoted to have stated that the coalition will offer a strong opposition.
On his part, the national chairman of the ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu, said the idea behind the coalition “is to strengthen our democracy. We have seen that people in government are trying to stiffen viable opposition.
However, toeing an entirely different path, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, reportedly debunked the move in that direction, in an interview with a Lagos medium, Vanguard, on Thursday, a day after.
In writing off any attempts by PDP at coalition or merger with other opposition political parties, Ologunagba said, “The PDP is the most organised and democratic party to exist in Nigeria to this day.
“Most other parties originated from the PDP. We did not and have not entered into any negotiations, nor have we had any talks for a coalition or merger, so-called, with any political party.
“In any case, if there is to be any such discussion, it is beyond the powers of the National Working Committee (NWC) to do so without the express consent of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party.
“Every community in Nigeria has a functional PDP office. We are a party to due process; we don’t take actions without following our laid-down guidelines, procedures, and processes.
“Most Nigerians know we won the 2019 and 2023 elections, and everyone knows what happened. We are in the process of rebuilding and strengthening our party to defend our hard-won democracy. “
The PDP presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, had, while hosting a delegation of the Inter-party Advisory Council in November, expressed fears of the country falling into a one-state party, urging the opposition to see the need for unity.
There are fears that those not favourably disposed to the agenda may literally take up arms against the Acting National Chairman and Secretary for dragging the party into the idea.