The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) acknowledges that unseating the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 presidential election would pose a challenge without a sincere coalition.
During a gathering with the National Executive Committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Presidential candidate for PDP and former Vice President, proposed a merger. He cautioned against the potential risk of Nigeria transitioning into a one-party state.
He said, “We have all seen how the APC is increasingly turning Nigeria into a dictatorship of one party. If we don’t come together to challenge what the ruling party is trying to create, our democracy will suffer for it, and the consequences of it will affect the generations yet unborn.”
In an exclusive interview with Saturday PUNCH, Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Deputy Publicity Secretary of PDP, emphasized that Atiku Abubakar made the appeal to safeguard the future of Nigeria and its citizens.
Abdullahi, accusing the APC of causing hardship for Nigerians, asserted that only a sincere coalition among opposition political parties could unseat the administration led by President Bola Tinubu within the APC.
He said, “We believe only merger or coming together of all opposition political parties will produce a better result. So there is a need for other political parties to understand that it will be difficult to defeat the All Progressives Congress without a merger.
“So the other political parties must see the reason and identify with the PDP’s clamour for coalition. So, if they see this, then the better for Nigeria’s opposition and the people.
“But if other political parties want to go about it individually, they are not as strong as the PDP. It is very difficult for us to attain the objective of taking charge of the government and sacking this army of occupation that has decided to inflict maximum penury and anguish on Nigerians.”
Timothy Osadolor, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, highlighted that opposition political parties would encounter challenges in unseating the ruling party unless there is collaboration with the people.