Labour Party, LP, Saturday, said its party is not involved in any merger talks or forming any alliance with other political parties against the All Progressive Congress, APC as widely published by newspapers.
This development comes barely 24 hours after the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, also debunked claims that its party is in talks with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and six others.
A statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Saturday night, stated clearly that LP was not present at the meeting and couldn’t have been part of the coalition as suggested by the publication.
Ifoh noted that the party will continue to participate in select meetings of like minds where issues arising from the last general elections are discussed with intentions to propose plausible solutions to developments that are threats to our democracy
The statement read: “The attention of the leadership of the Party has been drawn to a newspaper publication suggesting that the Labour Party is a part or has endorsed the new coalition of concerned political parties that was launched earlier this week.
“The news had it that a group of seven opposition political parties formed a new coalition tagged the Coalition of Concerned Political Parties. As noticed, the Labour Party was not represented at the meeting and therefore couldn’t have been part of the coalition as suggested by the publication.
“The publication we can confirm quoted one of our officials out of context by giving a false impression that the Labour Party endorsed the coalition.
“We have continued to posit that the Labour Party is still undergoing a Post Morten of the 2023 general election and until after the exercise, we will not be in a hurry to join the fray of any political arrangement.
“However, we will continue to participate in select meetings of like minds where issues arising from the last general elections are discussed with intentions to propose plausible solutions to developments that are threats to our democracy.
“Labour Party is interested in leading discussions on electoral reforms in Nigeria. We will like to find a lasting solution where a President of Nigeria with a population of over 200 million emerge with less that 9 million votes, and with less than 10 percent of registered voters.
“Labour Party is also interested in finding a lasting solution to a situation where the courts have usurped powers of the electorate. It is frustrating that after all the stress involved in elections on the sides of both the candidates and the electorate, and after securing electoral victories at the polls, 3 or 5 individuals gleefully upturn the verdict of the people on the alter of some unfounded technicalities. That is not what democracy preaches.
“On that note, our party will support a meeting or conferences of opposition political parties in Nigeria which will brainstorm together for the purpose of championing a brand of democracy which will yield power to the people and not to some anti democratic elements.”
