As fresh crisis hits merger plans

FRESH crisis appears to be brewing within the ranks of the Congress for Progressive  Change(CPC) as key allies of its founder and presidential candidate, General Muhammadu  Buhari have opposed what they termed unilateral actions being taken by the leader so far.

The development is already constituting a huge threat to the planned merger between the  CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN) ahead of the 2015 general election.

Buhari was said to have personally resolved to take over the negotiation with the ACN  recently, following the perception of negative roles said to have been played by his  trusted allies ahead of the 2011 election.

Some of those who considered themselves as core Buhari loyalists were said to have,  through their conducts, worked for the defeat of the party by unilaterally changing lists  of candidates close to the election proper.

Buhari was said to have felt disappointed by the conduct of some of those close to him as  insinuations were also out there that he was being controlled by his key aides.

The General had, as part of his resolve to personally negotiate the merger with ACN,  visited the party’s leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu about two months ago. Tinubu also  recently visited Buhari in Kaduna alongside his party chiefs.

Sources close to the party however confirmed that many of the top party leaders have  expressed frustration at Buhari’s decision to sideline the party machinery in the merger  plans and some of them were of the view that Buhari might, one day, defect to the ACN  without telling them.

At a meeting held last week by chieftains of the party at the Abuja Sheraton Hotels, the  frustrations of CPC chiefs became pronounced with a source confirming that the National  Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh told the meeting that if Buhari’s disregard for the party  continues, he might be forced to resign. Seven top members were said to have attended the  meeting. While some of them agreed with the expression of frustration by Momoh, others  however calmed the chairman, saying that Buhari will never join ACN.

Sources at the meeting told the Sunday Tribune that most of those at the meeting however  expressed disappointment with the way Buhari was said to be running the affairs of the CPC  by taking unilateral decisions.

According to sources, one of the instance of the perceived unilateral decision by Buhari  was the decision to host Tinubu and others in Kaduna without intimating the party.

A source said that the National Chairman was shocked to meet Tinubu and others at Buhari’s  house in Kaduna as he (Momoh) was only there to keep a scheduled appointment.

“The National Chairman only went to Kaduna to keep a date with Buhari over some  outstanding discussions and he was shocked that the date coincided with the same date  he (Buhari) was to host Ahmed Bola Tinubu over the merger talks.The meeting was never  known to Momoh until he went to honour the date with the General,” a source said.

“The CPC as a party is being sidelined in most of the activities that happened during the  meeting between the CPC and the ACN representatives. Even though the chairman  participated in the meeting in Kaduna, he was not really informed that the CPC/ACN merger  talks was going to hold,” another source stated.

There are fears that the way things are going, Buhari might just one day decide to join  the ACN  and abandon some of them in the CPC as an empty shell.

Another member of the party’s top hierarchy who spoke at the meeting in Sheraton, Abuja  said that they have warned Buhari about Tinubu and that the General does not know Tinubu  very well.

“We believe that Tinubu is only fraternising with Buhari for his own personal political  interests, adding that once Tinubu is aware that he cannot get anything out of the planned  political alliance/merger between the CPC and the A CN, he (Tinubu ) will abandon Buhari,”  a party leader was also quoted as saying, adding that he has been getting details of  interactions between Buhari and Tinubu in recent times.

It was however gathered that the CPC leaders had resolved at the meeting to call a show down meeting with Buhari where they would get across to him some prevailing circumstances  and why the planned merger with the ACN may not be in the interest of the CPC.