Former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) needs strong opposition parties to merge to keep it on its toes.
Henzodaily reports that the APC stalwart made the remark on Friday while speaking on Sparkling FM radio programme.
Obono-Obola stated that many things appear to be going wrong in the APC because there are no formidable parties anymore to challenge it.
He urged the opposition politicians to be steadfast and consistent, strongly presenting their points rather than acting as daytime opposition while associating with the ruling government at night.
He said, “I am a progressive professional in politics who desires healthy and competitive politics. I advocate for the merger of these smaller parties to enable Nigeria to have at least two strong parties to serve as a formidable opposition to the APC.
“Opposition parties should not be talking about alliances. They should collapse into a fewer number of parties by way of merger, not alliances.
“We need a party to keep us on our toes. We did it in 2015. I was on a committee that merged CPC and other parties to form the APC. We then became a powerful opposition and defeated a ruling party.”
Speaking on the purported merger between the Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) counterparty, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Obla said such efforts are akin to rolling stones that gather no moss.
He stated, “Their realignment means nothing. It is just media hype. They’re colourless politicians. They can’t effect anything.”
He disagreed with the notion that it was too early for the APC to begin discussions about President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
He noted that Tinubu has a fundamental right to re-contest the presidency if he so wishes.
Obola added, “It’s not too early to begin talking about the 2027 presidential election. Remember, there is freedom of speech.
“It shows political development and that our people are concerned about governance. Note that politics is an everyday discourse.
“Talking about 2027 is akin to anyone talking about all other issues.”