15 political parties form a coalition to stand consensus candidate in 2019 presidential election

FIFTEEN political parties have formed a new group called the Coalition for a New Nigeria (CNN) and agreed to field a consensus candidate in the presidential elections due to take place 2019.

Put together as a third force to rival the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), CNN has decided to come up with an agreed manifesto. According to the CNN, the just concluded local council elections in Lagos State was a charade that was characterised by massive irregularities and vote fixing by the election umpire.

Parties included in the CNN include the Labour Party, the Alliance for Democracy, the Democratic People's Congress, the Action Alliance, the Progressives People's Alliance, the Young Democratic Party, the Democratic Alternative and the National Conscience Party. Others are the People for Democratic Change, the United Democratic Party and the National Action Congress.

Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, the CNN chairman who is also the national chairman of the Labour Party, said they would galvanise their energies and efforts to ensure that a common candidate emerges victorious at the election. He added that they met and resolved to work together in order to chart a positive course for a new Nigeria.

“After several consultations and cordial discussions on the political and economic situation of the country, we the following political parties to be known and addressed as Coalition for a New Nigeria to chat a positive course for a new Nigeria. This coalition has been working and strategising for three months to see how we can run a successful government in Nigeria to effect the real change in the country.

“We are working on how to present a credible presidential candidate for the 2019 general election. We are not working in collaboration with either the APC or the PDP but this coalition will present a credible presidential candidate for Nigerians in the next election," Alhaji Abdulsalam added.

On whether the coalition would later metamorphose into a merger, Alhaji Abdulsalam said they are not contemplating a merger, as each party remains independent and autonomous. He added that the coalition is committed to pursuing economic, political and internal restructuring of Nigeria, as well as the empowerment of youths, women and persons with disability.