'JONATHAN AFRAID OF ACN, ANPP, CPC COALITION'
By demola akinyemi
Ilorin-Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan is afraid of an alliance of the party with All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, for the April Presidential election.
Spokesman of ACN, Lai Mohammed, who made this assertion said the fear was based on the fact that the president was aware that the alliance would deny him victory at the poll.
He stated this in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital at the weekend, after he registered in his ward in Oro town. Mohammed said most Nigerians had lost confidence in the government of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and were yearning for a change.
He said: 'The biggest thing Jonathan is afraid of now is the imminent alliance of ACN, CPC, and ANPP. He knows that with the alliance PDP will be squarely defeated at the poll. Many people, those who are not even politicians, are encouraging this alliance because they said they are tired of PDP government.'
He said that ACN was being prevailed upon by the people to go into alliance with other major oppostion parties to ensure an end was brought to PDP government.
However, he said an outright merger may be difficult to accomplish because the electoral body may have printed the ballot papers before all required processes were completed on the party to be produced by the merger.
He said if the alliance succeeds it will reflect at the state level the same effect it would have at the national level.
Mohammed who confirmed that ACN was holding talks on alliance with both the ANPP and CPC expressed hoped that the three parties would eventually be involved in the execution of the proposed alliance.
He said if the three parties are involved it will give a clear victory to the opposition parties above PDP at the presidential poll.
He said the influence of CAN would allow the allied party to sweep the South west while those of both the ANPP and CPC will enable the party clear the entire North East and North West zone. Mohammed added that the allied party would also lead in most of the North Central states and win some of the states of the South South and South East zones.
He disclosed that the parties on the alliance talks wanted to get the principles right first before they consider the terms of the alliance stressing that once they agreed to work together the next would be to discuss the terms.
The CAN spokesman however hinted that it is likely that the parties adopted a platform of one of them to present a joint presidential candidate.