Major Parties Unites Ahead of 2019 Elections

SOME opposition parties and interest groups, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Labour Party and the Nigerian Intervention Movement (NIM) have set up a high-powered technical committee to ratify an all-inclusive alliance against the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Members of the committee comprise key members of the National Executive Committees of the individual parties, their national chairmen and secretaries inclusive.
The constitution of the committee, Sunday Tribune learnt, formed the key resolution of a series of high-level meetings and consultations among leaders of the parties and pressure groups held in Abuja between last Tuesday and Friday.
Several of such meetings held at different locations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) attracted stalwarts of among other parties, the Labour Party (LP), United Progressive Party (UPP), and Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Action Democratic Party (ADP) and the Action Alliance (AA).
The SDP team to the talks comprised a former Minister of Education, Professor Tunde Adeniran; national secretary of the party, Mallam Shehu Gabam, and the deputy national chairman, Mallam Abdul Ahmed Isiak.
The team for the ADP consisted of the national chairman, Y. Y. Sanni; national secretary, Dr James Okoroma and the national treasurer, just as NIM co-chairman, Dr Abdul Jalil Tafawa Balewa member, Steering Committee, Dr Elishama Ideh, and the Director of Organisation, Hajia Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye represented the movement.
Some of members of the technical committee, who spoke to Sunday Tribune on condition of anonymity, explained that the talks were part of the process of setting up a national grand alliance for 2019.
Sources said the leaders met on Friday at NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja to decide on the choice among the SDP, ADP, and the ANN as the anchor party for the election.
The NIM leaders will hold a special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja on the choice of a party for the multi-party alliance.
It was gathered that a memorandum of understanding by all interested parties in the electoral alliance will be signed this week, after due consultations with their various leadership organs and the steering committee meeting.