No fewer than eight political parties converged at a summit convened in Kaduna yesterday by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to strategise towards having formidable opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
The opposition parties that participated in the summit include the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), KOWA party, Coalition of United Political Parties(CUPP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
Meanwhile, the Inter Party Advisory Party (IPAC), at the event, called for the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), stressing that the enormous powers and influence of state governors affect the independent status of the commission nationwide.
The IPAC national chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, also demanded the restoration of annual grant to political parties earlier expunged from the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.
Dantalle tasked opposition parties to adhere to principles of accountability, transparency and holding the government accountable, stressing that doing so would help in putting elected and appointed officials on their toes and ensuring good governance.
Chairman of the summit, Lawal Nalado, in his address, described the hardship faced by Nigerians as unbearable, adding that the parties’ gathered to discuss and chart a way forward for citizens to make informed decisions ahead of the next general elections.
He however debunked insinuations that the summit was convened to form a merger or a coalition amongst parties.
Nalado gave an assessment of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying it could not solve Nigeria’s problems but rather ended up creating new ones.
He said opposition parties need to mobilise voters at the grassroots and change their mindset that politics should not be about money, religion or ethnicity but voting the right candidates to uplift social and economic status of the society.
In his remarks, national chairman of PRP Alhaji Falalu Bello advocated effective mobilisation of the electorates by opposition parties, adding that fielding credible candidates was not enough to win elections, thus the need for mass mobilisation.
Represented by Sule Muhammad, Bello in his presentation listed inadequate resources, lack of internal democracy, decayed transparency, interference by ruling party among others as problems bedevilling opposition parties in the country.
In his goodwill message, national chairman of KOWA party and spokesman of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) challenged the opposition parties on the need to be active and vocal in pointing shortcomings and lapses of the government in power so the ruling party would rise to its duties and responsibilities to the people.
Also, the ADC national chairman Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu commended the political parties who honoured their invitation to the summit, adding that the conversation towards redirecting the country on the right part is continuous.
Earlier in his address, chairman of ADC and IPAC in Kaduna State, Ahmed Tujjani,
“This is not a gathering for merger or forming a coalition ahead of 2027 but rather a summit to discuss our common problems and suggest solutions to address them.
“We will call you again by tomorrow to read out our communique which will be a summary and possibly a mini working document of solving our problems ahead 2027.
“It is not early to start off as we have done here because our people said a Friday that will be good could be predicted from Wednesday.
“We hosted a collection of strong opposition parties and youth groups, in addition to putting heads together for the country.
“Nigerians must be informed and carried along by parties if we really want to keep citizens’ loyalty intact ahead of the next general election,” he said.
The theme of the summit is solid political party structure critical to the sustainability of the democratic process.