Will CUPP Serve Nigeria Better? Rivers State Residents React

Millions of Nigerians have continued to react at the emergence of over thirty political parties for the 2019 general elections. The People Democratic Party, members of the Reformed All Progressive Congress, R-APC and other opposition parties on Monday, signed a memorandum of understanding with aims to unite and unseat President Muhammadu Buhari come 2019.

Speaking to TPCN reporter, Lorine Emenike, during an interview in Port Harcourt, the State welfare officer of the National PDP ex-councillors, Rivers State chapter and the CEO of Fifikachiri Foundation, Israel Lamidi Tende, said the coalition of a good number of political parties in the country to form one formidable political party is a welcome development.

Mr Tende opined that Nigerians can attest to the fact that since 2015 that the All Progressive Congress took over power, with the promise for change, nothing has really changed as the country has gotten worse.

He said Nigerians embraced APC believing they will give Nigerians the desired change, saying that APC has failed in that promise, but rather, Nigerians are suffering.

He maintained that the APC instead of the delivering the change that they promised, brought poverty into the entire nation.

He added that instead of the APC promised change, companies are laying off staff while some companies have shut down, industries are no longer working, the seaports are not functioning as expected due to the incompetence of the present federal administration and the bad policies they put in place that are affecting the entire country.

This he said, has made some parents incapable of affording their children and wards school fees and as such, has posed a serious problem, stressing that Nigerians think that time has come for a positive change. He, therefore, advised Nigerians to embrace the coalition (CUPP), so that Nigerians can have a voice to change the present negative change to a positive change for the good of the country and the people.

Continuing, he likened Nigeria to a child without parents. He said: “anybody can come into the country, kill and leave without a trace”.

He said a president that pretend not to heed to the cry of his people because of the incessant killing and kidnapping in the country should be chased out of power.

“So we are in support of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) as to make sure the needed change come to stay.
Let the Coalition of United Political Party, present a credible and worthy candidate for president come 2019, all Nigerians will vote for that candidate irrespective of party affiliation. We should all put our heads together and vote for a single candidate that will give us that needed change that will turn things around.

Also, Abiye Amachiri, a grassroots politician, said: “We want to be happy. We want to live as one. So this is the biggest and greatest thing that has ever happened in this country politically. I have never seen such a merger formation before. This is the biggest thumb that will not only throw APC away but will bury them and I am proud to be part of this movement.

“Nigerians are itching for liberation. To emancipate ourselves, this is a cause that every true lover of this country must be part of. It is a wake-up call. And by God’s grace, I think the change will happen, the people will see it and it will gladden our heart.

On his part, Fineman Kalio, a member of the All Progressive Congress in Okrika said that for over thirty political parties coming together to form a coalition to fight just one party is degrading.

He said he doesn’t see how a coalition of these parties will survive come 2019 general election as the ADP has backed out of the coalition.

Mr Kalio said many more parties will back out of the coalition. The coalition will not see the light of the day as coming together as a force to fight APC in the 2019 general election is not a threat.

Also, Henry Omaseme said: “The coalition of over thirty political parties is a manifestation of necessity. Nigerians are fed-up. The social contract between the government and the governed is just the basic principles of the protection of lives and properties, and this basic principles, based on APC promises have not been felt.

“Many people are suffering, many dying. Economically, there is no blueprint. The country lacks good security, so based on all these, the coalition issue is a necessity. Nigerians have realized the need to now come up to make a change, a real change and that is what exactly happened.

On his part, Hon. Lawrence Daebi said Nigeria today is not a sound ground for development. ” So what we are saying is that we need to have a better government, a sound president that will make Nigeria move forward”

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