CPC faction sets to withdraw case, embraces merger

There are indications that the faction of Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) led by Senator Rufai Hanga, will withdraw the suit he filed in Abuja High Court, challenging the legitimacy of the Tony Momoh led National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, so as to fuse into the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC). This was revealed yesterday when the CPC faction loyal to Hanga met for over three hours with Senator Ahmed Tinubu, in the Arewa Suit, as part of the efforts to resolve the internal bickering bedeviling CPC before the Tony Momoh group merged into APC.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Tinubu said opposition parties must sacrifice for the new APC to succeed, saying the new mega party is out to rescue Nigerians from the shackles of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He said as politicians, they are free to meet to fashion out how to rescue the poor masses, adding that the new APC is bound to succeed. Speaking also, the leader of the CPC faction, Rufai Hanga, expressed readiness to surrender the original certificate with which CPC was registered, adding that as long as the down trodden poor masses of Nigeria will be comforted by the merger, he will withdraw the law suit pending in court, where he is challenging the Tony Mimoh lead faction.

“We are ready to pay any sacrifice to ensure the success of the merger of the opposition parties in order to move the political process forward,” Hanga stated.
He further explained that if they are part of the merger, all the leaderships of CPC would cease to exist as soon as the merger and mega party comes on stream, pointing out that under such situation, it would not be necessary for it to continue with the suit.
Peoples Daily also gathered from source in CPC that Tinubu had met Hanga, with the leadership of CPC and Gen Muhammadu Buhari over the misunderstanding within the party and how to resolve it.

Meanwhile, it would be recalled that the Hanga-led faction had been in court for over two years challenging the legality of the convention that brought Tony Momoh as the Chairman of the party. Even at the moment, Hanga still possesses the original certificate of registration which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave CPC at the point of registration, and since then, has been moving as the legal Chairman of the party.