The People’s Redemption Party (PRP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have commenced merger talks aimed at challenging the governing All Progressives Party (APC).
The opposition political parties have blamed former president Muhammadu Buhari and the incumbent President Bola Tinubu for the hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the national chairmen of the PRP, Dr Falalu Bello, and his ADC counterpart, Ralph Nwosu, attributed the hardship in the country to anti-people policies and continued corruption.
They said the policies were not encouraging middle men, but frustrating their small businesses, which are needed to make the economy to be strong, saying the two parties are ready to welcome other parties too.
Bello revealed that the parties have begun merger talks among them and will consider others that are interested in safeguarding the future of the country.
He said the merger will help in exploring strategies for addressing the alarming deterioration of the state of the nation.
According to him, since the return to democratic governance in 1999, Nigeria had witnessed significant economic fluctuations which is evident in the size of GDP that stood at $ 493 billion in 2015 and suffered a disastrous decline to an estimated GDP of $ 352 billion in 2024.
“While there is a decline of about 27% and it portends a grim reality for the people, which the past nine years of mismanagement have led to unprecedented economic retrogression, plunging millions people into poverty and stagnation,” Bello said, alleging that corruption has become deeply entrenched in the country’s political system, crippling national development and public trust.
Nwosu on his part said the practices popularized by the APC and PDP administrations in the last two decades have created an environment where corruption is not only tolerated but celebrated.
“We firmly believe that viable and humane alternative can guide our nation toward sustainable economic recovery.
“The practices popularized by the APC and PDP administrations in the last two decades have created an environment where corruption is not only tolerated but celebrated.
“Nigerians must come together to safeguard their future, it is the time we should come together on one political platform to take back the country,’” the ADC chairman added.
