Daily Independent (Lagos)
Tunde Abatan
6 July 2009
The proposed mega party being mid-wifed by leading politicians and leaders across the country might have suffered another set back as one of the leading opposition parties, the Action Congress (AC), has also backed out of the project.
The party did at the weekend when it described the mega party project as "dead on arrival" and "not capable of working."
Some northern politicians had recently described the mega party as a mega failure in an exclusive report in Sunday Independent.
The national chairman of the AC, Chief Bisi Akande, told this newspaper in another exclusive interview on Friday that his party had set two agenda for itself in its bid to gather more power.
The first of this initiative, he said, is to renew its efforts to press further for the fight to reclaim its lost mandate all over the country through the various election petition tribunals and, to expand its scope and network with a view to presenting a formidable opposition to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2011 general elections.
He said the recent victory of the party in the Court of Appeal on the Ekiti Central senatorial election is a confirmation of the various efforts being made by AC to retrieve its stolen mandate from the PDP "and we have succeeded to some extent on that."
Said he: "With that and others still in the works we have now shifted to strengthening the party and involving other stakeholders in other parts of the country in preparation for the 2011 general elections which we are sure we would be able to defeat the PDP given the other groups in other party who are ready to work with us. This is what we are doing and we are definitely not toying with any idea of a mega party which cannot fly."
Akande said the AC is convinced that the mega party idea could not work because of the strange bed fellows in it. "The PDP has put enough problems on the path of such a project, especially with the decimation of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) some of which leaders are fraternising with the proponents of the mega party."
On General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the two-time presidential candidate of the ANPP, he said he remains the only credible voice in the North, and that he has told him that his best interests could be served in the AC.
"I have told him several times, especially when we met last April that he and his group in the ANPP should work closer with the AC so as to realise the purpose of challenging the dominance of the PDP as he alone, among the lot, appears to be the only serious politician one can rely on but not with his old ANPP."
He observed that with the defecting of most of the ANPP governors to the PDP, it is not feasible for the former Head of State to continue pretending that he still has a party but to move out and seek better fortunes in other parties.
"And that is why we continue to say that the doors of the AC are still open for him and his colleagues in the ANPP who are desirous of teaming with people of like minds to challenge the dominance of the PDP."
On former vice president Atiku Abubakar who carried the party's flag in the 2007 general election, Akande said for now, he believes Atiku is still with the party.
Said he: "When we met last month he told me he has not left the AC and I take it on his word that he is still with us, but I cannot say that he will be our candidate in the 2011 elections because we are yet to get to that stage and when we get there we will cross the bridge."
According to him, with the conduct of the re-run election in Ekiti State, only the courts and the judiciary as a whole can give justice to any aggrieved person or party in the country. "It is apparent that nobody can get victory through the INEC and that is why we are making efforts to ensure that the people are well mobilised to give the PDP a good fight in the 2011 elections."
His words: "We have resolved to carry out extensive enlightenment and mobilising of our people and supporters all over the country in preparation for the elections and instead of waiting for the INEC to rubbish us we will get the people to police their votes as we did in Ekiti and that is why we are mobilising now in all parts of the country because except we do this, the 2011 elections will be a mere allocation of votes than what happened in 2007."
Akande said the proposed electoral reform being contemplated could not be possible until there is a new desire on the part of the ruling party to respect the courts through adherence to the rule of law.
"I can assure you that for as long as the PDP still remains in power in this country no free and fair elections can take place and that is why we are mobilising all Nigerians to be ready to defend their votes in 2011 and ensure that their votes count because the PDP is determined to rule the country in perpetuity but we shall give them a good fight as we are prepared to ensure that he PDP disintegrates before the 2011 elections and that is in the best interest of the country or else we are doomed for ever because nothing good can come out of the party."
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