John Onaiyekan, a prelate of the Catholic Church, has urged opposition political parties to close ranks ahead of the 2027 general election, saying a strong opposition is vital to sustaining Nigeria’s democracy.
Onaiyekan made the call when leaders of opposition parties
under the G100 Coalition, comprising national chairmen and national secretaries
of some political parties, visited him at his residence on Thursday, October
29.
The delegation briefed the cardinal on efforts to unite
opposition parties and present Nigerians with a “credible alternative” ahead of
the elections.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by Salihu Lukman
on behalf of the coalition parties, the group said Onaiyekan welcomed the
initiative and expressed support for the efforts to build a united opposition.
“He expressed his joy at signal that Nigerians will have
real and credible choices to enable citizens to decide their future and leaders
next year. His Eminence emphasised the role of competent, honest and
sympathetic leaders in resolving the multiple problems which combines to make
decent lives of our citizens difficult or impossible to sustain,” the statement
said.
The coalition also told the cardinal that it had completed
work on three documents outlining its principles, operational framework and
proposed policy direction.
They are the National Covenant for Democratic Renewal, which
outlines the coalition’s principles; the Framework for Opposition Unity, which
sets out how the coalition will operate; and the National Reform Programme,
which details what a government formed through the cooperation would seek to
achieve.
The group said it was working to finalise and adopt the
documents ahead of its second summit scheduled for November 9, when member
parties are expected to endorse and unveil them.
The delegation also briefed Onaiyekan on efforts to attract
more political parties into the coalition and develop mechanisms to address
potential sources of disagreement among members.
The coalition said it was committed to providing Nigerians
with new leadership and a renewed focus on citizens’ welfare, security and
trust in government.
The statement added that the delegation appreciated the
cardinal’s longstanding commitment to justice and compassion and asked him to
continue praying for the success of the coalition.
The coalition said its leaders would visit other prominent
Nigerians and diplomatic missions in the coming weeks.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com