Seven political parties, including the major opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), and five others, have clarified that their coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was not a merger.
Other parties involved in the coalition are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Allied People’s Movement (APM), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Young Progressives Party (YPP), and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
The parties, in a statement announcing their coalition, said they had decided to put heads together with the sole aim of providing a strong opposition and alternative solutions to government policies.
The parties stressed that in the statement that the agreement among them should not be seen by the public as a merger but rather as a coalition.
The movement tagged, ‘the Coalition of Concerned Political Parties (CCPP)’ was formed in Abuja on Wednesday at a meeting attended by leaders of the seven political parties at the National Secretariat of the SDP.
The chairman of the SDP, Shehu Gabam, said in his address to newsmen after the meeting that the coalition is not against the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
Setonji Koshoedo, the acting national secretary of the PDP, who represented the acting party’s national chairman, Umar Damagum, also spoke at the meeting.
“This coalition wants to offer strong opposition for the good of Nigeria. Our duty is to offer alternative solutions to government policies,” Koshoedo explained.
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