Despite the deregistration of some political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), minority political parties are still readily opting for the proposed merger by the mega opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP recently revealed plans to pull political strength with other minority political parties to enable it oust the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Uche Secondus, national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) revealed in an interview that the party will possibly merge with other political parties to open window for it to remove the APC from power.
Secondus, while fielding questions from newsmen on the merger, said: “Why not, when the time comes, if there is need for us to pull our resources and pull our strength together, it can happen, it is possible. Our focus is in making sure that our party is strong and viral and ready to win election.”
However, investigations have shown that the minority political parties are already in talks with the PDP over the proposed merger.
Ugochinyere Imo, spokesperson of the coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) said in an interview that the minority political parties are ready for merger and that talks are ongoing on the matter, despite the deregistration of the political parties by INEC.
According to him, negotiations are already on, although informally, but that the CUPP will soon make public its official position on the matter, when negotiations are concluded.
“Discussions on the merger have been on informally and were on before the issue of party deregistration by INEC came and because of that, we have just been informed that key opposition leaders are planning to be meeting.
“You know that the opposition leaders are members of the deregistered parties. It is after this meeting that the issues of deregistration and merger will be discussed and from there I will be authorised to speak on the final position,” Ugochinyere informed.
The merger, apart from being a strategy to remove the APC from government in 2023, it will also serve as propeller to bring together opposition political parties.
Retrospectively, the last time there was merger of political parties, was before the 2015 general election. The then major opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) pulled together political forces with other parties such as the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a faction of the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA), and some aggrieved PDP members, among others.
The merger was what culminated into APC which today, is in power. The merger did not only give the APC a political breakthrough but equally succeeded in electing President Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria. Before the merger, Buhari was presidential candidate of the CPC and had failed to win election under the platform.
At the moment, political watchers are of the views that if the PDP merge with other political parties, it may easily layoff the APC from power, same way it did to PDP in 2015.
Of course, politics they say is a game and the gimmicks, the maneuverings and scheming that goes with it, is all for interest, no matter the difference in political party affiliation.
Fact also is that democracy would lose its meaning if it foreclosed the free expression and association by its adherents, especially when it involves taking over power from a ruling administration.
Until now, there were 92 political parties before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) few days ago, deregistered 74, pulling down the total number of political parties to 18.
Reason for the deregistration, according to INEC was due to the lackluster performance of the parties in the 2019 general election.
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while briefing newsmen in Abuja, explained that the decision of the electoral umpire to deregister the political parties was in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
According to him, only 18 out of Nigeria’s 92 registered political parties escaped deregistration.
Those that escaped deregistration are: Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, African Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress.
Others are All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and National Rescue Movement.
Also, the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Young Progressive Party, and Zenith Labour Party were not deregistered.
However, Mahmood further stated that one of the parties, Action Peoples Party was “technically” not deregistered following a court order restraining INEC from doing so pending the determination of its case by the court.
Also, “the new political party, Boot Party, BP which was registered by a Court order after the 2019 general elections will continue to exist, bringing Nigeria’s registered political parties now to 18.”
For stakeholders in the PDP, the deregistration is not coming at the best of times. The number of political parties has reduced and so it implies that the political strength of the minority parties is also weakened.
Kola Ologbondiyan, national publicity secretary of the PDP, is yet to avail official position of the party on the matter, at the time of this report.
Investigations further show that the deregistration of the political parties may not be unconnected to the insinuation that the APC administration may have realised, that if PDP is allowed to merge with other parties, it would threaten the chances of the ruling party ahead of 2023 hence the need for INEC to scrap the parties.
A source told our correspondent that the leadership of APC had got wind of the proposal by the opposition parties to merge, and so decided to use the INEC to scuttle the plan.
According to the source, the other minority parties that are not scrapped by INEC do not have strongholds, as well as without very prominent persons that can mobilise.
“The INEC knew what it did. It is already aware that the parties are ready to merge with PDP and it would be dangerous for the APC in 2023 and that is why it may have deregistered the parties. Nigerians have been clamoring that the parties are too many and should be reduced. Why did it take INEC that long to scrap them? Why is it coming when plans are up for merger? Well, that is the beauty of politics but events will tell,” the source said.
But some key actors within the APC ranks have got contrary view on the claim. They concurred with INEC position that its action was backed by law and does not in any way amount to political motive.
Niyi Akinsuji, chairman of the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), said the pruning down of parties to a manageable size is a good development towards sanitising the nation’s electoral process.
“Personally, I have been an advocate of the need to audit and trim the numbers of registered parties that are able to put forward political contestants at elections.
“Though we are yet to be availed the legal grounds on which the Independent National Electoral Commission de-registered these parties, on the face value, it is a required move to sanitise the nation’s electoral processes and political environment,” he said.
Solomon Ayado, Abuja
