The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially denied any involvement in merger, fusion, or amalgamation discussions with other political parties.
This announcement comes amidst speculations fueled by Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, who hinted at the possibility of forming a coalition with his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, and other political entities.
Contrary to these merger speculations, Yunusa Tanko, the spokesman for the defunct Obi-Datti presidential campaign council, stated that Peter Obi is not interested in any merger aimed at seeking political power.
The PDP, however, has expressed its readiness to welcome back former members who had defected to other political parties. This was affirmed during the PDP’s 587th NWC meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
In a statement released by the PDP’s spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, the party emphasized its strength and capability to win elections independently.
“While the PDP, as a truly people’s Party, is open and welcoming to all Nigerians including our former members who left for other parties, we state that our Party remains strong and formidable, capable of winning elections in a free, fair and transparent electoral process in our country,” Ologunagba stated.
He also highlighted the growing support for the PDP, noting an increase in membership across the country.
“The NWC acknowledges the influx of millions of Nigerians into our Party in the ongoing Party Membership Drive in all the Electoral Wards across the country; which further confirms that the PDP remains the Party of choice for majority of Nigerians,” he said.
Ologunagba urged the public, PDP members, democratic institutions, and the international community to disregard any reports suggesting a merger between the PDP and any other political party, stressing that such an idea is not under consideration.
“The public, teeming members of our great Party, Democracy Institutions and of course the International Community should therefore disregard any report suggesting any form of merger between the PDP and any other political Party as such is not in the contemplation of our great Party,” the statement concluded.
