MERGER: CPC, ACN SEAL DEAL ON LOGO, FLAG

The fresh merger arrangement between the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) appears to be taking shape.

This is because we have it on good authority that the two major opposition political parties have reached a good measure of understanding as regards common name, logo and flag that will now be the identity (face) of the newly merged party.

But Sunday Independent was also told that the architects of the merger plan for the two parties are keeping the logo and the flag close to their chest for now in what one of them said “until the appropriate time.”

Regardless, one of the opposition political parties– the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)–may lose out in its bid to be part of the merger effort except the leaders approach the project with the seriousness that it deserves.

This is because we were told that the leaders of the ANPP are making impossible demands.

Senator Kanti Bello who hails from Katsina State and was in the senate on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 2003 till 2011 until he was edged out told this newspaper in an exclusive interview that the issue of logo and flag for the CPC and ACN has long been done with.

His words: “As far as I am concerned as a member of CPC, the only merger I know that is in existence and to which our party is discussing, based on an earlier discussion, which had already gone a long way, is between the CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

“A long time ago, there was a sort of agreement on the party logo, party flag and things like that. They have all been sorted out between ACN and CPC. As far as I know, as a member of CPC, our party has put a team to negotiate with ACN, not with any other party. I hope this is very clear.

“So, the negotiation or, rather, our crossing of ‘T’s and dotting of ‘I’s is between ACN and CPC, which I hope will work if these two parties should merge. If later ANPP comes on board somehow, fine; there will no problem. But we have gone so far to start going back again to the drawing board trying to discuss how, which type of logo, what is the name of the party? All these things have been concluded. The name and the logo of the party are already agreed upon earlier, and our leader had already stated this.”

However, Bello refused to tell Sunday Independent the new name for the merging party as well as what the logo and flag look like.

Hear him: “I can’t say it. But the truth is that these are some of the early agreements between CPC and ACN that have not been made public. So, I have no right to say anything about that. The only thing I want to assure you is that the merger is between ACN and CPC. That is what I can tell you for now.”

He also sounded indifferent about the participation of the ANPP in the ongoing merger plan, saying that the leadership of the CPC and ACN were not prepared to wait for the ANPP which he said seems to be crawling.

“Who is talking about merging with ANPP anyway? It is just wishful thinking. I think the man (Bukar Abba) is out of touch. He doesn’t know what he is doing. Let Nigerians know that the merger talk is purely between ACN and CPC. So, the issue of whether ANPP is the oldest opposition party is not it at all.

“Why do you have to wait for an old man when you, a vibrant young man, and another vibrant young woman are trying to get a full-fledged marriage? Why should an old man come in and start trying to be a suitor? It is unnecessary.

“I don’t want to take up any issue with ANPP. They have every right to discuss what they want to discuss. They have every right to even put up conditions for anybody who wants to merge with them. But as far as I know, my party, CPC, is discussing merger, which has gotten to an advanced stage, with ACN. And God’s willing, if this materialises, as I believe, this country’s problem is over. “CPC is a major party; it is a very big party in the North. CPC won elections considerably in 14 states of the North. And we have ACN controlling about eight states. If in the process, ANPP wants to join as individual, let them be. But for them to be putting conditions and all these things, I think it is unnecessary. I don’t want to take up any issue with them because we are not even discussing merger with them. So, let them not distract our attention.

“Our attention is simply between ACN and CPC. That is where the merger is. Whether somebody is the oldest is their business. You are running for something that is important, you need energetic people, not elderly people who are already about to quench,” Bello said.

However, the ANPP told Sunday Independent on Saturday that the party is still involved in the talks, noting that Bello may just be airing his personal opinion based on the opinion of a chieftain of the ANPP.

Spokesman of the ANPP, Emma Enukwu said the 20-man merger talk committee headed by former Governor Ibrahim Shakarau of Kano State is still working based on the terms of reference given to the members.

Asked if he was aware the CPC and ACN have come up with a common name, logo and flag for the newly merged party, Enekwu said: “The Shekarau-led committee has not reported to the party and so I could not have known.”

But he maintained that the right thing would be for all the merging parties to lose something original to them at the end of the day.

The spokesman of the ACN, Lai Mohammed, neither picked his call nor responded to a text message sent to him on the “new deal” with the CPC.

Nonetheless, the ACN has finally agreed to merge with other political parties for the possibility of providing a formidable candidate for the 2015 presidential election.

The agreement was reached on Tuesday at a meeting held in Abuja with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), where the leaders mapped out the modalities that were finally endorsed by the National Executive Council (NEC) on Wednesday.

A reliable source close to the party’s leadership in Abuja told Sunday Independent that the merger would include the CPC, ANPP and any other group or individuals that are interested in the merger arrangement, to salvage Nigeria from the “claws of PDP’s bad government”.

He said a committee had already been set up by the party to liaise with interested parties for the merger. The 22-man committee is headed by Chief Tom Ikimi, with other notable names like former governors of Edo and Ogun States, John Odigie-Oyegun and Segun Osoba, respectively.

Others are Pastor Iyamu; the 2011 governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Chief John Akpanudoedehe and Senator Chris Ngige.

According to him, ACN may prevail on the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and the former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari of the CPC, to bury their presidential interest and shift their support to a pair of younger persons who would be accepted to Nigerians.

This permutation, it was learnt, may likely favour Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, who may either run as President on that platform or become a running mate to any northern candidate.

The impeccable source also hinted that some aggrieved members of the PDP have indicated interest in the merger party with the view to fighting President Goodluck Jonathan if he insists on seeking a re-election in 2015.

He said consultations were already on to seek the support of all the ethnic nationalities in the country for the party’s choice of candidate.

Source: Daily Independent