Buhari, Tinubu, ANPP: new dawn as INEC okays APC From opposition politicians to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came yesterday a stern warning: be prepared to quit in 2015. The warning followed the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) — the vessel with which progressive forces will fight the 2015 electoral battle — by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The APC is the baby of the merger ofthe three main opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) – as well as a part of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The main parties in the merger ceased to exist following the registration of the APC. INEC, in a statement by its Secretary Abdullahi A. Kaugama, said: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved theapplication by three political parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) – to mergeinto one, to be known as the All Progressives Congress. “On considering the application, the Commission found that the applicant-parties have met all statutory requirements for the merger, and has accordingly grantedtheir request. “Consequently, the Commission has approved the withdrawal of the individual certificates of the applicant-parties, and the issuance of a single certificate to the All Progressives Congress.” National leaders of the APC Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu lauded the INEC decision. Although Gen. Buhari, a former headof state, said he would react comprehensively later after consulting with the new party’s interim leader, Chief Bisi Akande, his spokesman quoted him as congratulating “patriotic Nigerians clamouring for change and indeed all Nigerians and INEC alike for the historic registration of APC. “He congratulated all the leaders of the defunct ACN, CPC and ANPP including their governors and legislators, for their tenacity, understanding and perseverance during the process. It is a new dawnin the Nigerian political engineering and a new baby is born” Tinubu congratulated Nigerians and INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, saying “with the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the momentum for change has gained in acceleration as this merger is ready to set Nigeria on an irreversible cause of change and people-oriented development”. The former Lagos State governor recalled the tortuous journey to the registration and urged Jega to go the whole hog by ensuring a proper election with the use of biometrics. The AC N, in what was its last statement, titled “A new party is born! Congratulations Nigeria” by itsNational Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said: “With the birthof APC, Nigerians now have an alternative to a ruling party that hastaken the people for a bad ride in the past 14 years.” It described APC registration as “victory for Nigeria and for democracy”, adding that “it has nowalso propelled the country to the league of top democratic nations with two major political parties.” The AC N said: ‘’The journey has been long and tortuous. All sorts of obstacles were thrown into our pathby anti-democratic forces, but we were painstaking, determined and unrelenting in our quest for a formidable platform that will allow our country, Nigeria to achieve her full potentials and join the league ofrespectable nations.” Mohammed, who is the interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC added: ‘’With the approval of our merger by INEC and the emergence of APC, today marks the beginning of a new dawn for our country and her long-suffering people. We thank Nigerians both here and in the Diaspora for standing by us. We thank the media for their fairness, and we commend INEC for doing the right thing and for not succumbing to pressures from phantom political associations that sought to force it to circumventthe law. ‘’We promise not to disappoint Nigerians who have reposed much confidence in us. We say that contrary to the lies being peddled by the naysayers, we are not seeking political power for the sake of getting it, but in order to use it toempower our people and allow their long-nursed hopes and dreamsto become a reality. And to those who have vowed to change their names if APC survives for a year, we hope they will live up to their words,’’ it said. The APC said Nigerians would now look forward to a truly democratic party in the best traditions of what the world considers as the best form of government.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 12:25:52 +0000
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