2011: CPC, ACN may announce pact today

Details: Category: Politics; Published on Tuesday, 28 December 2010 09:40; Written by Daily Trust; Hits: 1636

The Congress for Progressive Change and the Action Congress of Nigeria are likely today to announce reaching an alliance pact for the 2011 presidential elections, where the two parties would field a joint ticket on a single platform. A meeting that started last night in Abuja between negotiating teams of the two parties went on into the early hours of this morning, trying to agree on a vice presidential candidate and a platform for the joint ticket.

A source told us that other items on the agenda of the meeting were discussions on how to ensure rigging-proof elections next year and also how to encourage members to register as voters.

During an earlier meeting last week in Lagos, the two parties agreed to field CPC’s retired General Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate while ACN would produce the running mate.

But they failed to agree on which platform to use, having ruled out merger because of shortage of time for that.

Each of the two parties insisted on the use of its own platform for the joint presidential ticket.

Meanwhile, separate alliance talks held between ACN and the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in Benin, Edo State, last Tuesday, but a scheduled follow-up billed for Abuja failed to hold, according to officials involved in the discussions.

We learnt that CPC leaders were concerned about ANPP’s foray into the alliance talks, and planned to insist last night on only a two-way talks with ACN rather than any form of tripartite arrangement. Most of the CPC big-wigs defected from the ANPP earlier in the year because of irreconcilable differences with the erstwhile leadership of the party and its state governors.

A source told our reporter that part of what was expected at last night’s meeting was each of the two parties would continue to make case for the use its platform for the presidential race.

But a decision would have to be taken one way or the other, an official involved in the talks said.

A spokesman for ACN said at the weekend that the party would surely field a presidential candidate, implying that it would not accept a proposal for the joint ticket to run on CPC’s platform.

CPC is very popular in the North, while ACN is enlarging its hold on the Southwest.

If the two parties align for the 2011 elections, they are likely to pose a serious challenge to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Three names have been mentioned as the likely vice-presidential candidate for the alliance. They are former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, former Ekiti state governor Niyi Adebayo and former Anambra state governor Chris Ngige.

Yesterday’s meeting was billed to be attended by Buhari and former Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu.

Members of the CPC negotiating team are Buhari, former House of Representatives speaker Aminu Masari, former House members Farouk Adamu Aliyu and Hadi Sirika, Alhaji Sule Hamma and Mrs. Joy Nene Okunu.

The ACN delegation comprises Tinubu, former governors Lam Adesina (Oyo), Segun Osoba (Ogun), Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti) and Bisi Akande (Osun), who is also the party’s national chairman, Osun state governor Rauf Aregbesola and Ekiti state governor Kayode Fayemi.

It could not be confirmed who attended last night’s meeting.