The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Accord Party have refuted reports of an alliance with the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the forthcoming presidential election.
It was earlier reported that a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Adesoji Akanbi, had said the ruling party is planning an alliance with SDP, Accord and other smaller parties to boost the chances of its flagbearer, Bola Tinubu.
Akanbi added that the APC was looking beyond the defection of new members and an alliance with the five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noting that deals with the smaller parties would assist the party in getting the highest number of votes and the required national spread in the presidential poll.
However, in a chat with The Punch, the SDP National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, denied any deal with the APC or any other political party ahead of the presidential election.
Aiyenigba, who noted that the party’s presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, had gone too far to contemplate treading such a path, said the SDP remained the only party with a genuine plan to reposition the country.
He said: “No, it is not true. I am not saying that other parties cannot do it but not the SDP. As we speak, our candidate is going for the election and we are mobilising across the nation. As we speak, he is in Kano. Tomorrow (today), our team will be in Bayelsa and we flag off in Ogun State on Saturday. We are not having any alliance with any party, individual or group.
No party in the country is passionate about the need to birth a new Nigeria like the SDP. How can a party with the most robust blueprint think of an alliance in which it is not the principal partner? No deal, I repeat.”
Also speaking, the National Chairman of the Accord Party, Muhammad Nalado, said there was no negotiation with the APC or any political party at the moment.
He, however, said the party cannot rule out negotiation with other parties, stating that such a move is allowed in politics.
He said, “We cannot doubt them because we are not in APC. But at the moment, we have not discussed or sat with any political party to talk about mergers or alliances or whatever.
Up till now, our presidential candidate is in the pursuit of his goal to be the president of Nigeria and we have already formed our campaign council, and we are going on with our campaign. So, there is no negotiation yet.
I cannot rule out negotiation but at the moment, as l am talking to you, we have never discussed it, in our sitting or with any other political party.”
