APC Is A Threat To PDP - Anenih

The chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief  Tony Anenih, yesterday warned that the merging All Progressives Congress (APC) posed a threat to the dominance of the PDP.
He also took a swipe at the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), saying it had constituted itself into an anti-Jonathan body.
Anenih gave this warning while addressing a meeting of governors, federal legislators and state chairmen of the party from the south-south zone in Asaba, Delta State declared.

He said: “We must not live under the illusion that our party is invulnerable. Although, the existing opposition parties are still too small, fragile and sectional, we must not ignore the possibility that a merger of these parties may constitute a threat to our current dominance of the political terrain.
“We cannot afford to be complacent. We must expect any eventuality and prepare to overcome them.”
Anenih, however, chided the newly merged opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as a house built on sand which is likely to collapse with the first rain.
On the NGF, he remarked that the recent activities of the governors’ association portrayed it as an anti-federal government lobby, which is in contrary to its avowed mission statement of “providing a common platform for synergy, collaboration among interests” or “serving as a bi-partisan lobby group which fosters, promotes and sustains democratic ethos, good governance in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.”
According to him, “Indeed, the general perception is that the NGF has become a formidable group of power wielders, seeking to control governments at all levels, including the federal government.
“What is now beyond doubt is that the NGF has been hijacked by opposition governors and is no longer promoting the interest of the PDP. It is for this reason that I fully endorse the formation of the PDP Governors Forum.”
Anenih also called for a new system of selecting presidential and governorship candidates of the party that would forestall frictions and acrimony.
“Our party primaries have, over the years, been the most serious sources of rancour and disunity in our ranks. Almost two years are devoted to pre-election processes for political offices and another two in managing post-primaries/election bitterness and disunity.
“We cannot continue this tradition of internal warfare. We must not live under the illusion that we can fight ourselves to the finish and hope that we can continue to have enough energy left to win elections,” he warned.
 He, therefore, advocated a new selection process for flag-bearers at the presidential and governorship levels that leave the candidates enough reserve of energy to face up to his opponents from other parties in the general election.
“We must seriously consider this in order to avoid frictions and acrimony in the overall interest of our party and the nation,” he stated..
He said at the meeting that the persistent negative profiling of the administration of President Jonathan was a major concern to him.
The BoT chair drew attention to what he described as “a well-oiled wheel of insidious media propaganda which has been tirelessly churning out sinister information about the Jonathan administration for the purpose of destabilising (and eventually replacing) his government.
“Unfortunately, some of these political enemies have PDP members as accomplices,” he lamented, and warning ‘any of our brothers and sisters being used to play mischievous roles’ to desist from doing so.
He also appealed to the party leaders in the zones not to lose sight of the critical role which the PDP has played and continues to play in sustaining Nigeria’s unity.
He urged the party men to beware of the antics of mischief-makers who thrive on rumour-mongering.
“PDP state governors and other leaders must guard against rumours and the manipulative antics of the opposition. The question to ask is: why are PDP leaders so susceptible to manipulation by opposition parties?”
He denied that the presidency was using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to witch-hunt governors who refuse to support President Jonathan’s alleged interest in contesting the presidency in 2015.

Battle to chase PDP out of Aso rock has begun, says ACN chieftain
The process for the registration of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has begun and the battle to chase the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has also begun in earnest following the conclusion of all the conventions of the three leading opposition parties, the Congress of Progressive Congress (CPC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP).
ACN national secretary, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, made this declaration yesterday while welcoming the conventions of the CPC and the ANPP that took place at the weekend in Abuja and Gusau, the Zanfara State capital, respectively.
Speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP, Senator Shuaibu explained that what the two parties did was a sign of commitment to the emergence of APC as the alternative party to the ruling PDP. He said the processes for the registration of the new party had begun officially.
“The conventions of the CPC and ANPP have brought more hope to the people of the country who are tired of the PDP government that has failed in every sense of it to make life comfortable for them. The battle to chase PDP out of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa has begun,” he said.
Speaking further, the ACN scribe disclosed that the two parties would now follow the footsteps of his party by formally writing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to inform the commission of the new development.
 “The interim officers would now write officially to the INEC about the merger of the three parties into APC, and if after few days, according to the Electoral Act, the INEC did not reply, it is assumed the party has been duly recognized,” he said.
When asked how long that would take, Shuaibu said that the compilation of the membership would determine the duration.
 “For example, the ACN has an electronic data base of its members, but other parties do not and we have to wait till they both compile theirs, then we would send the register to the INEC. But I am sure it would not be long,” he stated.