No Merger Plan With PDP, Says LP

The Labour Party (LP) says it has no plan to merge with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

LP’s spokesman, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement on Thursday, said his party just concluded the 2023 presidential election episode and a post mortem was yet to hold.

Ifoh said the way forward for the party has not been discussed and “when we do, Nigerians will be properly informed”.

The LP was reacting to a proposal by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP flag bearer in the February poll, that opposition parties merge to defeat the ruling APC in the next presidential election.

Atiku, on Tuesday, had expressed concerns that Nigeria was moving towards a “one-party dictatorship” state and called on other opposition parties to come together to defeat the ruling APC.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, the LP said Atiku’s call “was only a proposal and every Nigerian should be interested in making democracy work in Nigeria and that what we have presently is an autocracy”.

“There was no where in the response that the purported merger between LP and PDP was mentioned.” Ifoh emphasised.

Also, the ruling APC slammed Atiku, over the proposal, saying the ex-VP and his party failed at the polls since 2015 and have failed to offer credible opposition to Nigerians.