The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the alliance of opposition parties canvassed against it by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 polls, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, would fail, just as his past advocacy in that regard had fallen through.

Deputy National Organizing Secretary of the party, Nze Chidi Duru, disclosed in an interview with the newsmen.

Atiku had, in reaction to Friday’s judgment of the Supreme Court on several governorship election petitions, expressed willingness to lead a coalition of opposition parties to oust the ruling APC in 2027.

“I am as prepared as ever, to lead the charge, alongside all our leaders and Governors, for the good of our country”, he had said.

However, Duru, a former member of the House of Representatives, said the President Bola Tinubu-led APC administration would continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians in such a way that the party would remain unassailable in the lead up to the next general elections.

He said: “I do not know, I cannot speak for the opposition. I can only tell you that the events of the last few days have also engineered optimism on the part of Nigerians that this government is a listening government, that it is one that hearkens to the views of Nigerians.

I mean, it couldn’t have happened before now that when the general public felt that a certain functionary of government was acting in a different manner, that a listening government would say, ‘You know what? You are not guilty but you should step aside to enable an unfettered investigation into those ‘allegations’ against the person. And that is what this government represents.

You have also seen a lot of positive actions that have been taking place in the last few weeks. It gives a sense of hope to Nigerians that yes, if we continue to work on this path, that APC will also become unassailable in the next few years leading to the next election.’’

“For me, we will continue to hope that the opposition parties would rise to the occasion to give a formidable and constructive engagement to our political party but it is theirs to provide such opposition and it is for us in the APC to continue to take the lead.

“In any political dispensation you would like to know and understand what the other person is doing so that you can be way ahead of them in the engagement of the Nigerian public. I think that in the next few months, Nigerians will continue to see that this government is working very hard in their own interests and they will continue to give support to the government to ensure that it delivers the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

“As to his charge, we wish him good luck. We knew that about two or three months ago, such call was made and the Labour Party said they were not in any position to undertake such unholy engagement. That they would rather ask the PDP to join hands with them than join hands with PDP, and we saw a similar statement that was also made by NNPP.

“So, I think the response to this request will not be different from the response that the other opposition parties had given to the PDP before”.

END.