A coalition of 18 political parties under the auspices of Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (COP3) has urged recently deregistered political parties not to waste time on litigation against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but to come together and stretegize on how to strengthen the nation’s democracy and politics.
The coalition in a communique issued at the end of its national caucus meeting in Abuja said the parties should look beyond the deregistration, stressing that they should instead work together and change the nature of politics in Nigeria away from the usual norm of seeking political office for personal gains
In the communique which was signed by chairman of the coalition, Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, the COP3 said the process of litigation is long, tortuous and uncertain, stressing that Nigeria politics will benefit more if such energy and resources will go into the struggle to liberate the country from the bondage of bad governance at all levels.
He said, “our coalition has been very active in supporting the current administration at the electoral level and in the fight against corruption and insecurity and the restoration of economic growth. But we see the deregistration of some of our members as an opportunity to rethink our strategy and reposition our collective assets towards the search for better a better Nigeria and beyond the pursuit of public office and the current administration.
“Politics is not just about power. It is more important about public service, empowering citizens in all facets of their lives and putting the interests of the nation above all personal, group and political considerations.
“Our support for President Muhammadu Buhari remains solid but we are thinking ahead and beyond the current dispensation towards a Nigeria that works for all Nigerians regardless of their position in life, political affiliations and geographical locations.
Members of the coalition includes AAP, Accord, ACPN, APA, APM, FJP, Fresh, KOWA, NDLP, NNPP, PDM, UPN, SNP, UPP and YES
