Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has brought together some political heavyweights and 35 political parties to strategise on how to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election.
The political heavyweights present at the meeting include former Kano State Governor, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba (SAN).
Agbakoba, and his fellow co-chairman of the Nigerian Intervention Movement (NIM), Dr Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, attended the meeting.
Obasanjo also reportedly invited 35 political parties to the meeting, including Social Democratic Party , Labour Party , Alliance for Democracy , Democratic People ’ s Congress, Action Alliance , Progressives People ’ s Alliance , Democratic Alternative and National Conscience Party.
Obasanjo was said to have met with the parties under the aegis of the Coalition for New Nigeria.
In one of the meetings held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Obasanjo reportedly said that all the parties and political heavyweights must work together to break the dominance of the APC and PDP.
The former president reportedly said that Nigeria were tired of both parties and would like a change.
The Punch quoted an unnamed source as saying that the “meeting is not just a political one but an attempt to come up with a unified ideology and strategy for 2019.”
The source disclosed that despite his being a leading member of the APC, Kwankwaso was invited because of his leadership of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, an influential political movement in Kano and neighbouring states.
Agbakoba, who confirmed being at the meeting, said, “What I can say is yes, that is true. We are exploring the option of working together and those conversations are still ongoing and we have a mutually-agreed agenda that we will have to make an impact in 2019.
“And that we will not be supporting the APC or the PDP. We have agreed on that but we have not agreed on who the candidate would be and other minute details.”
Speaking on why Kwankwaso and Oyinlola, two old politicians were present at the meeting, Agbakoba said, “I can confirm that Kwankwaso was there and Oyinlola was there, but for us, our concern is that Nigerians need to see a new political plan and we told them in clear terms that if we are to work together, it would present a challenge if the Nigerian voting population see the same old people and then there would be no change. So, that’s where we are.
“It will be difficult in my view for us to be supporting the same old people who left the PDP and went to the APC to come and join us. It will be very difficult.”
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