Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Controversy has trailed the formation of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) spear-headed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Young Democratic Party (YDP) has asked that its name be struck out of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a party to the coalition.
The YDP further asked the PDP to cancel any endorsement, agreement or undertaking whether openly or secretly purportedly signed or agreed to by on its behalf.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had, on Monday, cobbled up together a loose alliance of about 30 political associations in readiness for the 2019 elections.
The new group was christened Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) at a meeting at the Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua Centre, in Abuja.
It was not clear whether they were going to seek INEC registration to run on the CUPP Platform as the alliance of ACN, CPC and ANPP did in 2014.
However, the collaborating parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of defeating President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre, states, and the Legislature.
PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark and Chairman of the R-APC, Buba Galadima, were also present at the meeting.
Leaders of President Olusegun Obasanjo-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party of Nigeria (SDP), National Conscience Party (NCP), Labour Party, and a host of other newly registered parties were in attendance.
But in a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP dated July 10, 2018, the YDP through its Acting National Chairman, Henry Nwabueze and Acting National Secretary, Lliyasu Mohammed Aliyu, predicated its position on the ground that those who paraded themselves as representing it at the signing of the MoU had no authority to do so.
The letter further reads, “We hereby write, as the sole and authentic authority of Young Democratic Party (YDP), to inform you of the disconnect and outright disapproval of our party in the recent Coalition of United Political Parties and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 9, 2018.
“Please be informed that Barr. Georgina Dakpokpo and others who came as representatives of the party have been expelled from the party and cannot, under any guise, represent the party in the said coalition or any coalition whatsoever; neither can they validly speak for the party in any matter that concerns it.
“For the purpose of setting the records straight, the said Barr. Georgina Dakpokpo and others who claimed to represent YDP in the coalition are impostors with ulterior motive and that is suspect.
“We make bold to state that there are several rulings of the Federal High Court dismissing their claim to belong to our party, the YDP.
Attached to the letter were copies of court rulings and judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division supporting its claim.
In a related development, the YDP has further asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to arrest and prosecute Dakpokpo and others for fraudulently parading themselves as representatives of the party.
In a letter to the IGP dated July 10, 2018, the party said Dakpokpo and others who claimed to represent YDP in the coalition were impostors with ulterior motive and that is suspect and criminal.
The letter read: “We make bold to state that there are several rulings of the Federal High Court dismissing their claim to belong to our party, the YDP. Despite these rulings, these suspects have been parading themselves as representatives of our party.
“In view of the above, we ask that the suspects be immediately arrested and prosecuted in line with the law of the land.
“We, as a party, have no dealings or coalition with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or any other political party other than the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).”
