Five political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Democratic Party, Alliance for Democracy and Accord Party met in Abuja on Thursday and vowed to work together to unseat the All Progressives Congress in 2019.
A former Minister of Infirmaries, Prof. Jerry Gana, was said to have led the PDP delegation to the meeting.
Gana, who was the chairman of the PDP Strategy Review and Inter-Party Affairs Committee, had said in Abuja on Wednesday that the PDP was planning to collaborate with other political parties ahead of the 2019 general election.
He said the meeting however had nothing to do with the rumoured mega party, “but a separate and highly principled initiate of the PDP.”
The five parties said that almost two years now down the road, it was abundantly clear to everyone whether inside or outside Nigeria that the “so-called promise of change was indeed not for positive change but rather a pipe dream that unleashed a series of retrogressive actions that has put our country permanently on the reverse gear.”
They noted that since assuming office in 2015, the present government had reneged on its electoral promises, and had also messed up the economy and scared away foreign investors by its pronouncements.
In the communique issued after the meeting, the five political parties said that they were yielding to the desire of Nigerians to save the country.
They said they would stand “united and steadfastly work together in the interest of the vast majority of our people who are now suffering and traumatised by the visionless and dictatorial antics of the government of the day.”
The five parties also said that they “shall constitute ourselves into an effective, responsible and fearless watchdog and by mutual agreement broaden the base of the opposition so as to constitute an alternative reliable political option for our people and will therefore ensure that henceforth, the electoral and security umpires act strictly within the dictates and ethics of their profession.”
They alleged that the Federal Government had failed Nigerians in the above areas.
According to them, “That as a positive reaction to the above listed failures of the present regime, and to give hope to all our people, this forum shall work out in detail, in a joint memoranda, a list of basic fundamental requirements necessary for a descent and healthy society that our people eminently deserve and we will jointly endorse those requirements and commit to working assiduously to achieving them in the shortest possible time.
“We, The United Forum of Democrats, uphold the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference and are resolved to work earnestly for its full implementation.
“That we shall work together henceforth in all upcoming elections as we approach 2019 to ensure we enthrone genuine democracy, good governance, respect for the rule of law and put an end to the reign of civilian dictatorship.
“That we are committed going forward to work for the establishment at the centre and in as many states as possible people-oriented participatory governments that will entrench the values,ideals and cherished principles of the United Forum of Democrats.”
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