Plans to merge the Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to help unseat the two leading parties in the country: the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have started as proponents of a third force movement continue to seek alternative ideas.
Spokesperson of the National Consultative Forum, Yinusa Tanko on Monday disclosed that there is an ongoing plan to merge the interests of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi and that of his counterpart in the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The merger had earlier been muted by many in the past weeks following Peter Obi’s dumping of the PDP. But Obi and Kwankwaso’s emergence as presidential candidates of their both parties made commentators to dampen the conversation.
On Monday, Tanko while speaking on Arise TV said consultations are ongoing to form an arrangement that will involve Obi and Kwankwaso in a bid to strengthen the national spread of both candidates and position them to defeat the ruling APC and opposition’s PDP.
He noted that merging the two parties is an idea they have already seen on ground, and they feel that Obi, who is very much grounded in the Southern part of the country needs to work together with other people who are also very grounded in the Northern part of Nigeria, particularly Kwankwaso.
Tanko added that both Peter Obi and Kwankwaso have shown character, resilience, determination and have worked closely with people who are downtrodden. He prayed that Nigerians would give them their maximum support if their plan works out.
In his words, “What I can say at the moment is that some of us who have been on top of this arrangement(Kwankwaso-Obi meger) and talking are working seriously. I don’t want to come out and say A, B, C, D, but what I want you to take to the bank is that we are working seriously.
“It is an idea that we have already seen on ground and we thought that those who are already on ground, for example Comrade Peter Obi who is very much grounded in the Southern part of this country need to work together with other people who are more grounded in the Northern part of the country especially Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso.
“These individuals have shown character, they have shown resilience, they have shown determination and they work closely with the people in the grassroot. And so Nigerians should give them support if this design comes true.”
