Merger: PDP congratulates opposition
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday congratulated the opposition parties that merged to form the new All Progressive Congress (APC) to challenge it at the 2015 general elections. This is coming as the Kwara state governor, Dr. Abdulfatah Ahmed has described the APC as a normal political move that can never be of any threat to the PDP. According to a release made available to newsmen yesterday by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the ruling party said as the biggest party in West Africa, it welcomes the development as an indication that the nation’s democracy has come of age and is deepening. The party added that with the coming on board of the new party, the people expect robust debates on the economy and other issues of governance in the general interest of the country.
“We congratulate the opposition for their successful merger and the formation of the All Progressive Congress. This is yet another victory to our democracy. It shows that our democracy has come of age. We hope that from now we will see robust debates on the economy and other issues of governance,” the party said.
The party charged the opposition to use the vehicle of their new party to challenge PDP elected and appointed officers to debates on government projects and achievements so that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be the utmost beneficiaries of the nation’s political developments.
But the Kwara state governor in his reaction said the opposition merger was not borne out of ideological persuasion. He said “It would have been a major threat to the ruling party if the merger has been driven by any kind of ideology other than individuals and their positions. If they are driven by ideology then there will be reasons for us to begin to think”.
He pointed out that the merger of political parties was not alien to the political history of the country as there were similar merging of political parties in the First and Second Republics.
“Until Nigeria begins to drive ideologically based political issues then such merging will not bring anything positive to the polity. The APC, for now is just a re-alignment. No big deal”.
