Former presidential aide Okoy Obono-Obura has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) needs a strong opposition coalition to maintain its momentum.
Naija News reports that the APC stalwart made the remark while speaking on Sparkling FM radio program on Friday.
Obono-Obola said a lot of things seem to be going wrong in the APC as there is no longer a strong political party that can challenge it.
He called on opposition politicians to be resolute and consistent in making their case, rather than acting as an opposition party during the day while working with the ruling government at night.
He said: “I am a progressive political expert who wants healthy and competitive politics.I am a progressive political expert who wants healthy and competitive politics. advocate the merger of these smaller parties.
“The opposition parties should not talk about alliances. The two parties should be divided into smaller parties through mergers, not alliances.
“It takes a party to pull its weight. We did that in 2015. I was part of the committee that merged the CPC and other political parties to form the APC. It became a strong opposition party and defeated the ruling party.
Obra said such efforts were moot over the alleged merger of Labor Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) rival Rabiu Kwankwaso. He said it was like rolling stones that don’t gather together.
He said: “Their realignment means nothing. It’s just media hype. They’re colorless politicians. They have no impact.”
He disagreed with the idea that it was too early for the APC to start discussing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
He pointed out that Tinubu has a fundamental right to be re-elected as president if he wishes.
Obola added: “It’s not too early to start talking about the 2027 presidential election. Remember that you have freedom of speech.
“This is indicative of political developments and shows that the public is concerned about governance. Remember that politics is a daily discussion.
“Talking about 2027 is like talking about every other issue.”
