Posted by By JACOB EDI, Abuja on
Indications have emerged that Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2003 Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Mohammadu Buhari, may pull resources together to prosecute next year's presidential election.
Indications have emerged that Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2003 Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), General Mohammadu Buhari, may pull resources together to prosecute next year's presidential election.
It was, however, not clear as at press time which of the two men will give way to the other, but a national mobilisation committee has been put in place by a group of four political parties as well as other interest groups for this purpose.
Towards this, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) met in Abuja on Thursday to put machineries in place for the project with the major objective of identifying and supporting a common candidate for the 2007 presidential elections.
The political parties involved in the new arrangement, whose representatives were present at Thursday's meeting, are the newly registered Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Alliance for Democracy (AD), Peoples Redemption Party (RP), Peoples Solidarity Party (PSP).
Other parties expected to join the group are the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Progressive Action Committee (PAC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Justice Party (JP).
National Coordinator of the UDA and Director General of the defunct Buhari Campaign Organization, Alhaji Sule Hamma, who announced the formation of a national mobilisation committee, spread across the six geo-political zones, said they had recognised the need "for all to work together to entrench democracy and make it self-sustainable in our country."
He explained that all the parties in the new alliance have commenced discussions on the possibility of supporting a common candidate for the 2007 presidential elections.
Part of the responsibilities of the national mobilization committee is to among other things, mobilize members to create the enabling environment for the emergence of the best and most acceptable candidates for next year's elections at all levels, mobilize members to work towards winning the 2007 elections and take over governments and legislatures at all levels, and also reach out to other political groups, NGOs, youth and women organizations with a view to mobilizing them for transparent, free and fair elections.
Those who attended yesterday's meeting include, Mike Ahamba, Najatu Mohammed, Yomi Edu, Emmanuel Ibeshi, Bashir Yusuf Mohammed, Faruk Abdulaziz, Joy Yowika, Dauda Birma, Jemila Buldozer, Yinka Odumakin, Wole Oke, Chidi Nwike and Maijam'a Umaru.