AD DISSOCIATES SELF FROM ABUJA CONVENTION

Lagos - The Alliance for Democracy (AD) on Tuesday in Lagos dissociated itself from a recent national convention and primaries of the party held in Abuja.

AD's National Chairman, Chief Michael Koleosho, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that 'there was no convention held by AD either in Abuja or anywhere.

'A group may have come together claiming to be AD and went to one corner and had a convention; it is not our party,' he said.

NAN reports that the Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa-led group of the party had last week held a national convention and primaries.

Koleosho said that he was still the authentic national chairman of the party, adding that his leadership enjoyed the recognition of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

'The convention was a fake assembly as INEC officials were not present,' he said on telephone.

Koleosho said the decision by some AD members to join the ACN did not amount to the extinction of the former.

'As a party, we have every right to align or merge with another party and that does not mean that AD is longer existing,' the chairman said.

Also speaking, Alhaji Musa Umar, a former deputy national chairman of the party, described the convention held by the Akinfenwa group as illegal

'No party will be going for a convention at this time. The same group has been defeated in the court and they are now at it again,'' he said.

On the proposed merger between AD and ACN, Umar said that the two parties were already holding talks.

'We cannot merge until after the elections; what we have now is an alliance.

'The party's NEC will decide whether to still apply for a merger with the ACN or continue with our alliance or do we go back to our AD.

'But for now, we are having a purposeful and useful alliance with the ACN and we are all working together,' Umar said. (NAN)