INEC announced the registration of the APC, a merger of some political parties in Nigeria.
The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over the registration of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
CNPP, in a statement by its spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu, shortly after the electoral body announced the registration of the APC in Abuja, said it “congratulates INEC for its forthrightness, steadfast and obedience to the rule of law”.
Mr. Okechukwu also stated that “it is heart-warming that INEC captured the intendment of the 1999 constitution not to register phony groups or mischief makers as political parties”.
CNPP said the registration of the APC signals the death of a one party state, which has characterised Nigeria’s democracy.
“Nigerians now have a golden opportunity to make choice between two dominant political parties; one anchored on social democracy, pro-people and one anchored on conservative and anti-people programs as is the case in all liberal democracies,” Mr. Okechukwu said in the statement.
On its part, the APC also congratulated INEC “for doing the right thing and for not succumbing to pressures from phantom political associations that sought to force it to circumvent the law”.
The party congratulated Nigerians on the emergence of the new party, saying with the birth of APC, Nigerians now have an alternative to a ruling party “that has taken the people for a bad ride in the past 14 years”.
In a statement issued by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, in Lagos on Wednesday, APC said its emergence is a victory for Nigeria and for democracy that will propel and that it has now also propelled the country to the league of top democratic nations with two major political parties.
”The journey has been long and tortuous. All sorts of obstacles were thrown into our path by 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 of respectable nations.
”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,” Mr. Mohammed said.
We will not disappoint Nigerians
Mr. Mohammed also said the party will not “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 to empower our people and allow their long-nursed hopes and dreams to 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,” the APC said.
APC said Nigerians can now look forward to a truly democratic party in the best traditions of what the world considers as the best form of government.
The party promised to unveil, in the days ahead, its membership registration plans to give all Nigerians, especially those who have become disenchanted with the way things are going in the country, the much-awaited opportunity to be part of the country’s democratic process in the true sense of the word.
”We will also be unveiling our plans to turn today’s hopelessness into a time of great opportunities, to reverse the downward slide in our socio-economic development, and to ensure that every Nigerian benefits from the commonwealth, instead of the present situation in which a few fat cats are milking the system dry at the expense of the citizenry,” the APC said.
Speaking in the same vein, the spokesman, of the now defunct CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, said, “This is good news to Nigerians. For the first time we have a situation where three parties will come together to talk of merger to help Nigeria and democracy. It is a big challenge to the continued dominance of PDP.”
Mr. Fashakin also commended INEC for” being professional and for refusing to be used by PDP to stop APC registration”.
“When the history of this nation is written, INEC will occupy a good position for doing an onerous duty to the nation,” he said.
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