'New party will promote democracy'
THE Congress for Progressives Change, (CPC) has warned that it would be ready to mobilise Nigerians against the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and the Peoples' Democratic Party, (PDP) should they connive to deny the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a related development, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has accused the PDP of either suffering from crass ignorance or engaging in palpable mischief by saying the leaders of the APC should have registered the name with INEC before now.
Meanwhile, the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) Wednesday doubted the integrity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged plan to register a shadowy APC.
In the same vein, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that the formation of the APC by a coalition of opposition parties in the country was a step in the right direction.
The CPC was reacting to reports that INEC may advise the merging group to adopt another name, following claims that it had earlier received request for the registration of the African Peoples Party (APC) from a different group.
The CPC insisted that it would not change the name of the APC, while accusing INEC of conniving with the ruling PDP to frustrate the registration of APC.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian yesterday in Abuja, the CPC's National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin insisted that INEC was igniting fresh crisis in the country by its declaration on the APC, warning that the commission was just acting the script of the PDP, which he noted would be resisted by the merging parties.
While wondering why INEC has refused to release the identity of those behind the African Peoples' Congress, Fashakin, maintained that no amount of collaboration from INEC and the powers-that-be would stop the APC's registration.
Apart from ensuring a strong and viral opposition, Atiku said APC would strengthen two-party system.
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said it was disturbing that the ruling party in Africa's largest democracy can exhibit such ignorance or mischief, when the legal requirements for a merger are well spelt out in the Electoral Act.
''For the avoidance of doubt, the law does not make any provision for any group to reserve a name at INEC, and the legal requirements for a merger do not allow registration until all the stipulated conditions have been met. Applying for registration before the conditions have been met will be like putting the cart before the horse, and would have been illegal and irregular
In a statement by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, the party said it was unfortunate that INEC, which should be an impartial umpire, had in the public domain.
The ANPP noted: "Is it not puzzling that the same INEC which is currently, and aggressively, implementing a policy of deregistering non-performing political parties, is falling over itself to register a new party, which has no iota of evidence to show that it can function as an association, not to talk of as a full-fledged political party?"
Atiku, who was the guest speaker at the public lecture organised by the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan (UI) as part of its 50th anniversary, said he had for long been a strong advocate of a two-party system for Nigeria and lauded the emergence of the APC.
Speaking on the topic, "Thoughts on Internal Democracy in Nigerian Political Parties: Challenges and Strategies", Abubakar noted that the APC would not only put the ruling party in check, it would serve as a viable alternative.
Besides, he pointed out that the two-party system was the best way to have parties that cut across the various regional, ethnic and religious divides.
The Guardian