Victor Umeh, former national chairman of the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), says the coalition talks between the Labour
Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) ended on June 15.
Umeh, who is vying for a senatorial seat on the LP platform,
said the talks “collapsed completely” because both parties could not agree on
who will be the presidential candidate.
The former APGA national chairman said this on Sunrise
Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday.
Umeh faulted Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the
NNPP, for giving the impression that the talks between both parties are still
in progress.
He said the Labour Party is no longer interested in “every
other discussion” with the NNPP.
“We are surprised at the recent media blaze by the members
of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to continuously suggest that they were
locked in a negotiation with the Labour Party to have a partnership or
arrangement where the two parties will work together in 2023,” he said.
“We are surprised to continuously see this, we had this
discussion precisely on the 15th of June, more than three weeks ago. What
necessitated the meeting was that the NNPP and LP working together will give a
better opportunity for the presidential election to be won. And the two parties
set up two teams.
“Myself, Julius
Aboreh, the Labour Party chairman who led our team; Doyin Okupe went to that
discussion on behalf of the Labour Party; while the NNPP put forward Buba
Galadima, Abdullahi Baffa, former executive secretary of TETFUND, and Ladipo
Johnson.
“It was a three-man team; we met for long hours, adjourned
and we came back. When it became obvious that it had become a dialogue between
a deaf and dumb person we called off the negotiation.
“It was on the 15th of June that the whole talks collapsed
completely. The Labour Party has averted its mind from every other discussion
with the NNPP.
“But these fellows have continued to give the impression
that they are still in talks with the Labour Party. We couldn’t agree on the
knotty issue of who becomes the presidential candidate. Will it be Peter Obi of
the LP or Rabiu Kwankwaso?
“What they are saying
is not in tune with the reality of things. If Peter Obi, who is being sought
after, stepped down to deputise Kwankwaso, it would have been injurious to his
reputation.”
On July 3, Kwankwaso said his party was offering “a golden
opportunity” to Obi to be his running mate. Shortly after, he said northerners would
not vote for Obi if he is made the standard bearer of the merger of the two
parties.
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