THE Labour Party’s leadership has confirmed that they are a part of the new coalition of concerned political parties that was formed this week.
On Wednesday, seven opposition political groups forged a new coalition to improve democracy in the country.
The Coalition of Concerned Political Parties was created in Abuja during a meeting of political party leaders at the National Secretariat of the Social Democratic Party.
However, the name of another major opposition party, the Labour Party, was glaringly absent from the list of members.
Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Peoples Allied Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Young Progressives Party, and Zenith Labour Party constituted the coalition.
When contacted, the leadership of the LP denied leaving the coalition.
The party’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk, stated that the coalition’s creation was duly communicated to the LP’s National Working Committee.
He said, “They (coalition) wrote and informed us. In fact, we shortlisted people to represent the party at the session yesterday (Thursday); unfortunately, those who were supposed to be there did not go. But we are together with them. The LP is part and parcel of the coalition.”
Yunusa Tanko, the primary spokesperson for the LP, expressed similar sentiments, saying that the coalition’s main goals were to protect democracy and prevent the nation from becoming a one-party state.
“The LP has been speaking basically with the PDP, NNPP and trying to see how we can speak as one to save democracy in which all of us are stakeholders,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress has dismissed the threat posed by a new coalition established by major opposition parties, saying that the move poses no threat to them.
The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, stated that while members of the new coalition were free to exercise their democratic rights, the ruling party was not concerned.
