Buhari’ll beat Jonathan, IBB - CPC

Buhari

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) founded by former military head of state, Mohammadu Buhari, says it might partner with 35 other political parties ...

during the 2011 general elections, to actualize its plan of ousting the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The party’s spokesman, Dennis Aghanya, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja yesterday, said it has already initiated the talks with the leadership of the parties to create a platform to be called Coalition for New Nigeria (CNN).

He did not say if Mr Buhari, who was the presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the 2003 and 2007 elections, will emerge the presidential candidate of the alliance. However, Mr Buhari reportedly met with the president, Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday in a meeting in Abuja. Mr Jonathan’s aides said the meeting was for the two men to break their fast together and discuss matters surrounding the upcoming polls. Despite being a Christian, Mr Jonathan has reportedly joined Moslems to fast during the month of Ramadan, since he became Vice President.

“The CPC is involved in further discussions with over 35 other political parties under the platform of the Coalition for New Nigeria.” According to Mr Aghanya, “the national chairman of the Progressive Action Congress (PAC), Charles Agadaenyi Nwodo, and the national secretary of the National Conscience Party (NCP), are the chairman and the secretary respectively, while the national chairman of the Labour Party, Dan Nwanyanwu, is the National Publicity Secretary of that platform”.

The CPC spokesperson debunked reports that the party has pulled out of talks with the Action Congress of Nigeria, which last month changed its name to accommodate the interest of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP). He said discussions between both parties are still in progress, noting that at their last meeting in Lagos, it was agreed that both sides should go back to consult their leaderships on some issues.

Mr Aghanya further explained that the CPC prefers a union that will take the form of a political alliance to allow room for autonomy of each member of the alliance, stressing that it is the best option for the parties now.

“These leaders of the parties will meet at their own level and finetune the discussion,” he said. “It worked in the United Kingdom and has worked in other developed and advanced democracies of the world. It might be close to being impossible for a political party to have an outright 2/3 majority in our elections in Nigeria, except the CPC.”

Mr Aghanya added that “in the nearest future, the CPC would have consolidated and concretised most of such discussions with all the political parties discussing with us. We will try to reach a common ground but where it fails, we are equal to the task to go it alone.

“No one forms a political party with the sole intentions to only win an election by going into an alliance or any other form of political union. However, it will be the best option to have a broader platform on the face of the enormous power being wielded by the PDP.”

On the status of Mr Buhari, the CPC spokesman boasted that he (Buhari) is the only person with integrity and an impressive record of performance to secure victory in the forthcoming presidential election. According to him, the PDP does not have anybody with such a pedigree to beat Mr Buhari in a transparent presidential poll.

“They (PDP) cannot win up to five per cent of the total votes cast in any election,” he said. “Their strength lies in their ability to have all the institutions of governance, including the nation’s treasury, at their beck and call.”