A group of seven opposition political parties has formed a new coalition in an effort to strengthen democracy in Nigeria.
The movement tagged the Coalition of Concerned Political Parties was established in Abuja during a meeting attended by leaders of the political parties at the National Secretariat of the Social Democratic Party.
The coalition is made up of the Peoples Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, African Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Peoples Allied Movement, Young Progressives Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
It was gathered that the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, while hosting a delegation of the Inter-party Advisory Council in November, expressed concerns over the country falling into a one-state party and urged the opposition to see the need for unity.
While expressing worry about the level of instability the country is going through, the coalition urged the judicial system to save democracy in Nigeria and rid itself of political and executive interference.
Speaking on the importance of the coalition, the National Chairman of the SDP, Shehu Gabam said: “We looked into the issue of the judiciary. The judiciary is the last hope of the common man if it still stands.
“We are worried about the level of instability the country is going through. If you look at recent developments in Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kano, and Plateau states, it is very clear that the judiciary must exercise extreme caution with some of its decisions.
“The judiciary should strengthen their conviction towards delivering judgments that can stand the test of time. They should not allow we politicians to infiltrate their rank, sanity, and capacity to deliver judgments that are internationally sound and can be recognized.”
The SDP Chairman however noted that the coalition is not for a merger or against the Inter-Party Advisory Council.
In the same vein, the acting National Secretary of the PDP, Setonji Koshoedo, who represented the acting party’s national chairman, Umar Damagum, stated that the coalition will offer a strong opposition while the national chairman of the ADC, Chief Ralph Nwosu, said the idea behind the coalition “is to strengthen our democracy. We have seen that people in government are trying to stiffen viable opposition.
