THE plan by the opposition parties to form a grand alliance to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, which is certain to present President Muhammadu Buhari as its standard-bearer in the 2019 election, is finally taking shape as the parties have almost concluded the terms of the alliance.
Sunday Tribune learnt at the weekend that the leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Social Democratic Party, SDP, Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, ADC, New PDP, nPDP, and about 34 other parties and groups are close to signing a memorandum of understanding, MoU, on the alliance.
The four-member committee working on the MoU, it was gathered, was expected to perfect the document earlier in the week but could not finish it. This, it was said, was to give the legacy aligning parties enough room to digest the contents of the MoU and come up with suggestions before a final draft is produced and signed.
It was learnt that the opposition leaders are mindful of time and are determined to conclude work on the document and sign it within weeks.
According to a source within the coalition, Nigerians would begin to witness serious activities in the coalition.
“We are hoping to conclude all plans in the next three weeks. I can assure you that Nigerians would begin to see serious activities in the next few days,” he stated.
Talks were said to have reached a critical stage among the leaders of the opposition parties, who were said had agreed on how best to go about the alliance in a way that will make the 2019 presidential election a walkover for the opposition.
Sources told Sunday Tribune that the PDP, nPDP group and other aggrieved groups within the APC had shown strong commitment towards the alliance which they said was necessary in the interest of the country..
