Members of the coalition of opposition political parties have admitted that the question of negotiating political party platform, getting certain political figures to sacrifice their ambition and consideration of zoning convention for the 2027 presidential election, are some of the most difficult challenges facing the take-off of the coalition.
Former National vice chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and member of the coalition, Mallam Salihu Moh Lukman, who made the disclosure in a statement he issued in Abuja on Monday – today, March 24 – lamented that that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has bluntly frustrated all the efforts made to register new political parties despite many groups and individuals applying.
The former Director General of the APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), further admitted frustration in the refusal of the electoral commission to register new parties, lamenting that: “to make matters worse, many of the existing registered parties who did not meet the electoral threshold of winning any seat in the last general elections face the threat of deregistration.”
The statement read: “Once concluded formal announcement will be made with all the details regarding composition of membership, programme of action towards 2027, framework for contesting the 2027 elections, etc.”
“Consultations are in advanced stages, basically reaching out to prospective members of the coalition, mapping out issues for agreements among members of the coalition.
“At this stage of negotiations, the main focus is around getting leaders to agree to work together and substantially there is strong recognition that prospective members should set aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections. The second issue being negotiated is the political party that will be the platform for the 2027 electoral contest. These two issues are carefully being negotiated.
“While acknowledging that with respect to the requirement for members to set aside personal ambitions, there are strong interests being expressed around issues of zoning by individual leaders, these issues are yet to be formally discussed at any consultation meeting.
“The speculation therefore about disagreements stalemating the coalition negotiation is not true. The consensus among leaders is that the final decision about processes of candidates’ selection can only be handled and determined when there is agreement regarding the political party on whose platform the coalition will field candidates.
“The question of negotiating with the political party is the most difficult challenge. This is an area that many members of the coalitions have been engaging in different ways for more than a year now.
“Perhaps, it is important to highlight that there are many groups, including some members of the coalition who have filed applications to register political parties. For reasons best known to INEC, these applications are being frustrated.
“The only conclusion that can be reached in this circumstance is that INEC has decided that it will not register new parties. To make matters worse, many of the existing registered parties who did not meet the electoral threshold of winning any seat in the last general elections face the threat of deregistration,” he noted.
“Given this unpleasant reality, members of the coalition opened negotiations with some of the existing parties that have met the electoral threshold. Interestingly, somehow, some of the prospective parties being negotiated are being remotely pushed into crisis mode in the same way PDP, Labour Party and NNPP have been entangled with existential problems.
“It is almost a clear case of destroying the legal basis for any party to qualify to field candidates for 2027 other than the ruling APC. This is quite unfortunate coming during the tenure of a party that is envisioned to be progressive. It is even more troubling when it is during the tenure of a leader – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu – who has unarguably been in the vanguard of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
“The way the Nigerian democratic space is rapidly shrunken can only be imagined under a military government. The determination and resilience of Nigerians is being called to question under the current APC government led by President Tinubu,” the coalition lamented in the statement.
