Buhari’s party raises alarm over blackmail

CONTRARY to claims, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on Sunday said its alliance talks with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other parties was fully on course.

It said some opponents of the alliance were jittery thereby resorting to blackmail.

Raising the alarm in a statement on Sunday, CPC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Dennis Aghanya, said no amount of blackmail or propaganda could stall or derail the ongoing alliance discussions.

The party said, “The insinuation or assumption, that our talks with the ACN have collapsed, is not only false but was done in bad faith.

“For now, our discussions are centered on the nature of our alliance and not who becomes what. You must get to the bridge before you cross it. You cannot start sharing positions when you have not agreed on the terms of the relationship.

The CPC stated that it was not surprised that opponents of the alliance were resorting to propaganda because they were afraid that its success would break their stranglehold on the citizens.

Because it appreciated the importance of the 2011 elections, it said it was determined to establish a wider platform with other progressives, adding that Senator Bola Tinubu, who is the arrowhead of ACN, remained a major political force that should be carried along.

“We are also happy to have him as a political friend. The more the oppositions can come together, the better our chances to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] government in 2011,” the CPC stated.