PDP, R-APC, other party leaders meet in Abuja

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday  met with their counterparts in 34 political parties, including the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), according to The Cable. The political parties signed a memorandum of understanding on presenting a presidential candidate that will slug it out with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

The meeting held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. Some of the political parties in attendance were African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party of Nigeria (SDP), National Conscience Party (NCP) and Labour Party.

While addressing journalists, Ben Obi, said the coalition is out to rescue Nigeria from darkness. Obi appealed to Nigerians to give the coalition a chance. Prominent personalities in attendance were former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Uche Secondus, chairman of the PDP; Buba Galadima, chairman of R-APC; Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president; Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun state, among others.

In a manner similar to how some aggrieved PDP members defected from the ruling party in 2013 to form nPDP, some APC pulled out of the party last week and announced the emergence of R-APC. The nPDP had teamed up with the APC to win the 2015 election.

The meeting in Abuja on Monday is seen as a step towards that direction. Politicians have been realigning forces ahead of the next general election which is just six months away. TheCable had reported that three northern governors elected on the platform of the APC are on their way to the PDP and as many as 30 senators and 70 members of the house of representatives are expected to follow suit before the national assembly goes on recess in the next two weeks.

Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state, Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), and Samuel Ortom (Benue) are in the “first batch” of big guns expected to defect, an insider  told reporters.