PDP COMMENCE MERGER TALKS WITH SMALLER POLITICAL PARTIES

- The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) commenced talks with smaller political parties for a merger

- Parties like Labour Party (LP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and five other political parties are being approached by the PDP

- The parties want to align forces to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general election

A report by Thisday indicates that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commenced talks with smaller political parties for a merger.

PDP National Caretaker Committee chairman, Ahmed Makarfi
According to the report, parties like Labour Party (LP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and five other political parties are being approached by the PDP.

The parties want to align forces to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 general election

The chairman of the PDP strategy review and inter-party affairs committee and former minister of information, Professor Jerry Gana gave some insight on the merger talks yesterday, February 8.

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Professor Gana also said the merger had nothing to do with the “rumoured mega party”.

His words: “We are pleased to report that our initial contacts have yielded positive responses from seven people-focused and social democratic parties.

“In fact, later this evening, key leaders and selected delegates from the seven parties will be meeting on the invitation of the PDP.

“This has nothing to do with the rumoured mega party, but a separate and highly principled initiative of the PDP.

“Our desire is to have all genuine democrats and friends of the party to flow together and provide a fresh and trustworthy leadership to promote and ensure a people-friendly process of national development.”

He said the committee seriously considered how best to put in place a robust mechanism for inter-party relations, so as to encourage the coming together of all genuine and people-oriented democrats on the basis of shared principles and core programmes on national transformation.

He explained that one of the key recommendations of the committee was the restoration of the youth and women’s wings of the party.

The committee also recommended new initiatives like the adoption of direct primaries, as well as other means of conducting credible congresses and conventions, and to do away with such practices that encourage impunity.

The committee, Gana added, also recommended the use of direct primaries in the conduct of elections into elective positions.

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The Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said the party would subject the report of the Gana-led panel to critical analysis by stakeholders before it is adopted.

Makarfi pointed out an area that was apparently being overlooked by the committee, which was the manifesto that the party should be offering the Nigerian people ahead of the 2019 elections.