Nigeria: CPC and ANPP agree to merger into APC

Two of Nigeria’s opposition parties, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) agreed Saturday to merge into an electoral behemoth, the All Progressives Congress(APC), which they vowed would defeat President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in 2015 polls.

The two parties approved the move in separate conventions aired live on television.

A third, the biggest opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria, okayed the mega party project last month.

“This merger will make us too strong for the PDP to resist,” said CPC leader Mohammadu Buhari during a convention attended by 3,000 delegates in Abuja.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari: CPC backs APC

“We must explore all oportunities to save our country,” said Buhari, a retired general and former military ruler who has contested all presidential elections in recent years.

Amnesty: General Buhari supports amnesty for Boko Haram

Former military Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mr Muhammadu Buhari has given a tacit endorsement to the proposed amnesty for the members of fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.

The retired General made his stance known during a chat with journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, where he stated that Nigerians should embrace all efforts that could bring about peace, for socio economic development of the country.

The Federal Government recently set up a presidential committee to consider granting amnesty to members of the violent group that has been staging insurgent attacks against the government in the northern part of the country.“What ever will bring peace to our country, we should do it” he stated.

General Buhari has now joined a number of northern leaders who have called on the President to extend amnesty to the fundamentalist sect members.The Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Mohammad Saad Abubakar, recently led the call for amnesty for Boko Haram members as part of the measures to halt the insurgency by the group.

About 3,000 lives are estimated to have been claimed in the insurgency which involves suicide bombings on churches, motor parks, markets, public gathering, police station and government’s installations.