Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Anambra State, a Labour Party (LP) chieftain, Peter Obi on Monday failed to agree on the proposals for an alignment to dislodge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the next general election come 2027.
Atiku emphasised the importance of synergy among the opposition parties in a bid to wrest power from the ruling party.
But Obi said he would not endorse any coalition if the motive is restricted to mere power grabbing.
The two opposition politicians spoke on the challenge of civil rule, leadership and political reforms at the ‘Democracy Conference’ in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The theme of the two-day conference is: “Strengthening Nigeria Democracy: Partway to Good Governance and Political Integrity.”
A keynote address titled: “Party Politics and Political Integrity: The Role of Political Parties and Opposition in Democracy” was delivered by a historian, Prof Bayo Olukosi.
It was the second time the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election and his LP counterpart would differ on how the opposition political parties should collaborate and give the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) a fight in 2027.
The leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State, had also distanced himself from any proposed mergers and fusion, accusing those behind the move of hypocrisy.
At yesterday’s conference were other party leaders, scholars, members of civil society groups, diplomats and top government officials.
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To Atiku, the only way to dislodge the sitting government is through the coalition of opposition parties united by similarity of ideas and motives.
Emphasising the significance of coalition building, Atiku said: “Opposition parties must realise that it is extremely difficult to dislodge a governing party, however unpopular it may be and however fed up the people may be with it.
“Coalition-building and outright mergers are critical for building the capacity of the opposition to achieve that goal. Our own history and examples from other countries prove that.”
However, Obi distanced himself from any proposed coalition, saying: “I’m not interested in coalition for the purpose of power grabbing.”
The former Anambra governor noted that past moves to evolve a coalition have been reduced to an exercise for power grabbing.
He wondered why political leaders would allow the country to collapse in their desperation for political power.
Obi stressed: “For me, what is important is about the country. We must talk about the future of Nigeria. We abandoned the country and all we talk about now is power grabbing.
“I am not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria, how we care about securing Nigeria, about the common people and their education. That is the most important thing in Nigeria for now.”
The LP chieftain urged Nigerians to get involved in strengthening democracy in their own interest.
Obi said: “We have seen that whatever happens in democracy affects the citizens. It affects their daily living and the future of their children.
“So, we must all now get involved to make it because we know that it’s not working in Nigeria.”
Frowning at the monetisation of politics, he said: “That is what we need to remove because what you are doing is that you are encouraging stealing of public money.
“Because if I steal it and use it to win an election, then, I get all the power and everything, including immunity, not to be prosecuted. So, we must stop it. That is what driving the stealing.”
How to strengthen democracy, by Atiku
Atiku highlighted five critical issues that should be tackled in a bid to strengthen democracy in the country.
These include the institutional capacity of parties, normative acceptance by party members; consequences for non-compliance; and judicial reform.
He said democracy cannot be sustained without strong political parties, especially opposition, adding that the parties should be strong and democratic enough to fulfil their roles.
Atiku said party ownership and their subordination to individual big men is antithetical to democracy.
He frowned at the current method of party funding, saying it cannot lead to party supremacy.
Atiku said: “Funding by governors and a few wealthy individuals is not a democratic model.
“As we know, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Funding must be democratised. Members must invest in and co-own parties.
“In more effective democracies, parties and candidates raise funds from the mass of members and supporters.
“When people invest in something, they tend to be more engaged with it. So, our people, especially party members, need to be enlightened.”
The former vice president also called for reform to curb judicial recklessness.
