In a recent interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” Yunusa Tanko, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (LP-PCC), dismissed the speculation of a potential merger between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP), and the Labour Party (LP).
According to Channels Television on their official website on Monday, August 21, the LP stalwart clarified that the notion of a merger implied the validation of the parties involved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a single political entity, which he deemed unattainable at the moment.
Tanko emphasized that while a merger might not be feasible, the idea of a working alliance between the political parties was plausible.
He revealed that discussions about a potential merger had been ongoing even before the recent elections, but specifics were not yet public due to a lack of conclusive information.
Highlighting the significance of parties aligned in principle and ideology, Tanko welcomed collaborations among progressive-minded political entities and civil society groups.
He maintained that these collective efforts aimed to restore power in the interests of the Nigerian people and emphasized that the discussions were ongoing, leaving the possibility open for future developments.
Contradicting the rumored merger reports, LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, addressed party supporters during a mega rally in Edo State. He dismissed the rumors as unfounded and categorized some of the circulating information as mere rumors.
The speculation surrounding a merger emerged less than half a year following the February 25 presidential election, in which Obi secured the third position.
The eventual winner, President Bola Tinubu of the APC, and second-placed Atiku Abubakar of the PDP emerged ahead of Obi, as per the final declaration by INEC. Kwankwaso of the NNPP secured the fourth position in the election.
Both Atiku and Obi have challenged the election results declared by INEC in court. The tribunal has reserved its judgment after the parties presented their arguments and submitted their final written addresses.
Sportwriter1 (
)
