The Coalition of Political Leaders have yet to adopt any of the registered political platforms to use in the quest to unseat the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led All progressives Congress (APC).
In a clarification on the issue by Malami Salihu Lukman on Monday, the coalition explained that candidates selection and zoning arrangement have not been agreed upon by the coalition of political parties leaders which includes the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, and Rauf Aregbesola, among others.
Lukman who accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of blocking members of the coalition from registering a new political party to actualise their aspiration explained that once consultation is concluded, formal announcement will be made with all the details regarding composition of membership, programme of action towards 2027, framework for contesting the 2027 elections.
The Kaduna born politician remarked that their main focus is around getting leaders to agree to work together and substantially there is strong recognition that prospective members should set aside personal ambitions to contest the 2027 elections.
Accusing the APC led administration of setting the stage for a one party state, the coalition added that the second issue being negotiated is the political party that will be the platform for the 2027 electoral contest.
Stating that there are many groups, including some members of the coalition who have filed applications to register political parties, he claimed that for reasons best known to INEC, these applications are being frustrated.
He added that to make matters worse for the coalition, many of the existing registered parties who did not meet the electoral threshold of winning any seat in the last general elections face the threat of deregistration.
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The former director general of the progressives governors forum (PGF) remarked that given the unpleasant reality, members of the coalition opened negotiations with some of the existing parties that have met the electoral threshold like the opposition peoples democratic party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigerian peoples party (NNPP) deeply enmessed in intra party crisis.
Expressing the frustration of the coalition, he said: “It is almost a clear case of destroying the legal basis for any party to qualify to field candidates for 2027 other than the ruling APC.
“This is quite unfortunate coming during the tenure of a party that is envisioned to be progressive. It is even more troubling when it is during the tenure of a leader – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu – who has unarguably been in the vanguard of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
“The way the Nigerian democratic space is rapidly shrunken can only be imagined under a military government. The determination and resilience of Nigerians is being called to question under the current APC government led by President Tinubu.”
