The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP), and the LP are said to be merging, but the chief spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (LP-PCC), Yunusa Tanko, believes it is not possible.
The LP stalwart revealed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, hours after news of what appeared to be a merger between the PDP, NNPP, and LP circulated.
He asserts that a merger implies that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would recognize the parties as a single entity.
“When you talk about merger, it means that political party from different parts of the country submit their document to INEC and then they will be pronounced as a new political party and that isn’t obtainable at the moment.
“So, the merger is out of the question technically. But, when you talk about the discussion of the possible working alliance with the political party – very true, that is very possible,” he said.
The spokesperson also revealed that talks about a possible merger were ongoing before the election.
“Even before elections, there were discussions. I will not say ABC is right on the table at the moment because we need to have this particular fact before we can go public about it,” the LP chieftain said. “At the moment we are having a discussion with ourselves”.
He added that discussions with political parties of like minds who believe in the ideology and the principles of the party is a welcome development.
“And so most of the political parties who are progressively minded would not allow that particular situation to happen in Nigeria,” the spokesman maintained.
“Therefore, there is a need for a lot of people not even the political party alone but those in the civil society, those who believe in Nigeria’s emancipation of people from the shackles of poverty would definitely come together and see how we can restore power to the interest of the Nigeria people, that is very possible.
No “foreclosure on the matter,” he said, adding, “all I know is that we’ve had discussions.”
Peter Obi, the LP’s presidential contender in the 2023 elections, has likewise made it seem as though talks of a merger are unfounded.
Before the local government elections in the state, Obi informed hundreds of party members at a large event in Edo State that some of the rumors they were hearing around were false.
The report was released fewer than six months after the February 25 presidential election, in which Obi finished third, trailing Atiku Abubakar of the PDP in second place and eventual winner Bola Tinubu of the APC.
According to INEC’s official results announcement, Kwankwaso of the NNPP came in fourth.
Both Atiku and Obi are contesting the INEC-announced results in court; the tribunal has reserved judgment in these cases following the parties’ conclusion of oral arguments and submission of their final written responses.