ALLIANCE TALKS: BUHARI CAUTIONS ACN

The presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has urged the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to always exercise caution in their utterances over the alliance talks between the two parties.

Buhari was apparently reacting to remarks by the ACN blaming him for the collapse of alliance talks between the two political parties ahead of the 2011 polls.

The ACN in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had blamed the collapse of the alliance talk between the two parties on what he described as the recalcitrance and unbending attitude of Buhari.

But in a statement signed by the spokesperson for the Buhari/Bakare Ticket, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, Buhari noted that 'political maturity demands circumspection on the part of leaders at a time when our people are eagerly yearning for liberation from the 12 years of PDP misrule.'

The CPC flagbearer, though decribed the ACN diatribe as 'unfortunate', however said it was counter-productive engaging in a media war when there was still the possibility of working together 'in the unpredictable political season that we are entering.'

While Buhari would not want to go into details of the difficulties in forging the collaboration before the close of nominations for the reason that he believed in building bridges rather than cutting them, he posited that 'the two parties are the most ideologically compatible and have the responsibility of providing leadership in the political space to give alternative to the people of Nigeria.'

He admitted that 'there are difficulties in time and circumstance which make it difficult for the collaboration to come through immediately, but we still believe that given our mutual commitment to democracy and reconstruction of the economy, there is no option to removing the obstacles and work together,' he asserted.

The former Head of State also restated his faith in the inevitability of the two parties working together and coalescing their electoral opportunities to create a political force that will result to the birth of a new political regime.

'We therefore believe that this is not time for saber-rattling and blame game as such may be a backhand service for those who want to keep Nigerians in perpetual servitude. It is more profitable to remain positive and keep the communications channels open as we focus on the bigger picture,' he cautioned.

He therefore called on the leaders of both parties to continue to dialogue and rededicate themselves to their objective of working together as the vanguard of nHe urged Nigerians to keep their eyes on the ball, adding that 'as we move towards the April elections rest assured that change is on the way.'