COALITION PARTIES DISAGREE ON APC LOGO

DPP, MDJ fail screening test

Ahead of tomorrow’s deadline
for the receipt of  reports on the constitution and manifesto of the newly
formed All Progressives Congress (APC), there are indications that no concrete
decision has been reached on the logo of the party.
Also, the moves by two other opposition political parties, the Democratic
Peoples Party (DPP) and Movement for Democracy and Justice ( MDJ), to join the
coalition have ran into a hitch as the APC merger committees turned down their
letters because they did not meet the requirements.
THISDAY gathered that the APC leaders have not reached an accord on which of
the various logo samples to choose for the coalition.

The challenge arose from the fact that while some of the
committee members would expect the logo to identify with all the symbols of the
participating parties, others simply want something unique and captivating.

For, instance one of the sample logos being circulated has a
red, white and blue flag with a broom at the centre.

However, it was learnt that
some of the committee members are opposed to it because it tends to reflect a
symbol of only one of the merging parties.
“These members are not comfortable because they see the symbol signifying the
identities of the parties. Their fear is that using one party’s symbol will confer
it dominance over others,” a source said.

The source said based on the unresolved issues relating to the
logo, the subcommittee on manifesto may seek extension of the deadline to
enable it sort things out.

THISDAY also learnt that merger committees’ chairmen, who met to
screen the letters of interest by DPP and MDJ faulted the framing of the
letters which failed to make a clear commitment on membership of the coalition
party.

According to the source, the
merger committee was particularly upset by a paragraph in the DPP letter, which
maintained that the party is open to alliance with other parties, including the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Also, MDJ did not show evidence of a resolution
by its leaders to join the merger.
At the end of the screening, it was gathered that the two parties were asked to
go back and reframe their letters to reflect the observed misconceptions.

Meanwhile, the Alliance for
Democracy (AD) has been factionalised following a renewed leadership tussle
over moves to join the APC.
A statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Saliu Rafiu,
said AD was not part of the parties forming the APC.

According to him, the leaders
of the party have not been invited to the forum and they are not aware of any
arrangement of any merger with other parties.
He said the members of the party were surprised that Chief Michael Koleoso, the
former acting chairman of the party, addressed the press that AD was one of the
political parties forming the APC.

“The AD believes in internal democracy and respects its
constitution. Therefore, it will follow the normal constitutional process of
taking decisions if an invitation is received from a  political party or a
forum of leaders of political parties interested in the experience and political
knowledge of AD leaders to join hands for the development of the nation’s
democracy,” he said.

“The late Chief Bola Ige and other founding fathers of the party were members
of the G-34 who played a prominent role in the establishment of the political
parties during the transitional period. The party has a strategy to sustain its
ideology established by the founding fathers and make its platform available to
prospective leaders of the new generation, “ he said.