FOR 10 governors of the newly formed All Progressive Alliance (APC), there is no going back on the merger deal among opposition political parties bent on ousting the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) from power.
Governor Tanko Al-Makura of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) read out a statement on behalf of the progressive governors at the end of a closed-door parley that lasted several hours at the Abuja governor's lodge of Lagos State Governor Raji Babatunde Fashola.
Flanked by his colleagues, Al-Makura reiterated APC's call on Nigerians to see the merger initiative as a credible process aimed at not only ensuring good governance but also deepening democracy in the country.
Though the APC's manifesto is still in the works, Al-Makura gave a glimpse of the desire by the APC to better the lot of Nigerians thus: "Given the desire of Nigerians for change, our party will undertake to facilitate radical social economic and political reformation of the country. Our programme priorities shall be agricultural development, jobs creation, free education, affordable healthcare, infrastructural development, adequate power supply, eradication of poverty and corruption and rapid technological advancement and industrialisation.
"We shall pride ourselves as social democrats that are committed to organising our society based on the values of justice for all and individual freedom where everyone's basic needs are fulfilled."
Fashola who spoke in the same vein said that the opposition was resolute to fuse together this time around for the good of the country.
He noted: "Our numbers here show clearly a commitment to do this and I think in the history of our country, this is the first time the opposition have resolve to come together to achieve a common goal. Last week we were talking about the possibility. You can see the merger is now a done deal. The merger has taken place. We are already married."
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the ACN said his absence from the inaugural meeting of the progressive governors should not be misconstrued that he was not in support of the merger deal.
Stating that the APC would surely be a viable option for Nigerians desirable of a better tomorrow, he noted: "I think what is important is that I am here today. By my own antecedents, I am a believer in democracy and I believe that for Nigeria's democracy to flourish, we need to have alternative viable platform. And so, I am fully convinced about the need for this merger and the fact that all of us who desire to deepen democracy have to agree that when the opposition is factionalised, we are not about to create the kind of credible opposition that we need."
Governor Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressive Alliance (APGA) whose party members are divided on the merger deal, insisted that genuine APGA members were indeed part of the merger deal.
He said: "Let me say frankly here that APGA is in the merger and APGA is in the merger talk and we have our little challenges and we are just trying to sort out who are the APGA APGA and APGA PDP. The APGA APGA is in the merger talk and I also want to say emphatically that if CPC, which ought to have been a regional party, the ANPP and the ACN have agreed to come together for a bigger mega party, APGA cannot be an exception. It is a collective responsibility of all parties that can stand the test of time come 2015. So we are fully in the merger."
The Guardian
The meger will actually make big sense if it happens. So good thee is no going back on the mater