Nigeria: 31 parties merge to challenge President Buhari

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Opposition to the second-term bid of Nigeria's president swelled on Monday as the country's former ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) inked a merger deal with at least 30 other political parties.

At a grand meeting held in the country's capital Abuja, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding to operate under a new umbrella called the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP).

The meeting was attended by top politicians including PDP Chair Uche Secondus and Buba Galadima, head of a breakaway faction of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and controversial Senator Dino Melaye -- both former members of the APC.

Dismissing the Muhammadu Buhari administration as a failure, the coalition agreed to mobilize support for consensus candidates for the center, state, and the legislative arm of government.

The coalition mimics a similar merger of forces that became the APC and ousted the PDP, which had governed Nigeria since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule.

Parliamentary and presidential elections are set for February 2019.