The Peoples Democratic Party has dissociated itself from coalition or merger talks with other opposition parties.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said this in a telephone interview with Vanguard on Thursday.
When asked if the party was involved in talks of forming a coalition or merger with other opposition political parties, Ologunagba said, “The PDP is the most organised and democratic party to exist in Nigeria to this day.
“Most other parties originated from the PDP. We did not and have not entered into any negotiations, nor have we had any talks for a coalition or merger, so-called, with any political party.
“In any case, if there is to be any such discussion, it is beyond the powers of the National Working Committee to do so without the express consent of the National Executive Committee of our great party.
“Every community in Nigeria has a functional PDP office. We are a party to due process; we don’t take actions without following our laid-down guidelines, procedures, and processes.
“Most Nigerians know we won the 2019 and 2023 elections, and everyone knows what happened. We are in the process of rebuilding and strengthening our party to defend our hard-won democracy.”
This statement by Ologunagba, however, contradicts an earlier statement by the acting National Secretary of the PDP, Setonji Koshoedo, who spoke on behalf of the acting national chairman of the party, Umar Damagum, emphasizing that the newly formed coalition will serve as a formidable force in opposition to the current government.
Recall that, according to reports, a group of seven opposition political parties on Wednesday, December 7, united under a newly formed coalition aiming to bolster democracy in the nation.
During a meeting held at the Social Democratic Party’s national secretariat in Abuja, seven opposition parties officially formed a new movement called the Coalition of Concerned Political Parties.
The coalition comprised the Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Peoples Allied Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Young Progressives Party, and Zenith Labour Party.