election, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has said that the merger bid by the nation’s major opposition parties is giving the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP)-controlled federal government sleepless nights.
Buhari who spoke during the meeting of the CPC Board of Trustees (BoT) in Abuja, added that the leadership of the party would comply with whatever the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) required to ensure the success of the merger.
The party also dismissed yesterday speculations that a court had granted an injunction stopping its national convention, billed for tomorrow, where it would resolve to dissolve into the opposition coalition, All Progressives Congress (APC).
On the controversy over the whereabouts of the party’s certificate of registration, he explained that the party may be forced to sue its pioneer chairman, Senator RufaiHanga, to recover the certificate.
Speaking on the progress recorded by the merging parties, the former head of state said a lot had been achieved, adding that the BoT meeting would at the end of its deliberation, pass a motion for the dissolution of CPC to prepared grounds for merging with other parties under the umbrella of the APC.
“Eventually, the merger process took a life of its own, it caught the nation’s imagination and attention, and had proved unstoppable, and it, no doubt must have given the federal government sleepless nights, “ he said.
According to him, theBoT meeting will consider the final report of the merger committee on the issue of APC constitution and manifesto and make necessary conclusion.
The CPC leader also urged the party members to study carefully the options proposed for the transitional management structure of the new party and be able to choose the option which best suit the yearnings of the party’s supporters.
On the dispute over the party’s leadership which has left the party in jeopardy over how to take possession of its registration certificate, Buhari said Hanga and his group had no basis to lay further claim to the leadership of the party.
The spokesman of the Hanga group, Chief Dennis Aghanya, had said his group was the right custodian of the certificate since there was a pending court action challenging the authenticity of the Prince Tony Momoh-led national executive of CPC.
However, Buhari dismissed the claim, adding thatHanga relinquished his post in 2010 when he sought to contest for the Kano State governorship ticket.
“ I think what the party will do is to go to court and swear an affidavit and get Hanga jailed. I want to assure you that we are going to go with APC to INEC and whatever the commission requires, I am sure we can comply with it, “ he said.
The CPC has also described as false and unfounded the speculation that a court has given an order stopping its national convention scheduled for tomorrow.
In a statement at the end of the BoT meeting, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. RotimiFashakin, said the convention would go on as planned.