“We can defeat APC and PDP combined” - UPN

The Unity Party of Nigeria says with the help of the masses, it will defeat the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in the next election even if the two parties merged.

The UPN, which has not been registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Adedeji Salau.

The statement read in part, “Although the UPN leadership is aware of recent cases of realignment among the registered parties and defections by political opportunists, it will not be deterred in its commitment to bringing the dividends of democracy to the common man.

“If the whole of the PDP joins the APC, or the whole of the APC joins the PDP, the UPN will successfully dislodge them from power with the support of the masses who have been agonising under this present dispensation imposed by these parties at all levels of government.”

The UPN said although it had not been registered by INEC, it would still participate in the Ekiti and Osun state elections.

The party said it had fulfilled necessary requirements for registration, and expressed confidence that INEC would quickly issue it (UPN) with the registration certificate to enable aspiring members contest in the polls.

“Everything that UPN should do, it has done. The question to ask INEC is, what is holding the UPN from registration. This inexplicable delay is causing fear and worry among the public,” the statement said

According to the INEC timetable, the first round of elections will hold this year on June 21 with the Ekiti polls followed by the Osun governorship poll on August 9.

Next year, the Federal elections open with presidential and national assembly elections slated for February 14, while the state governorship and state houses of assembly polls come up a fortnight later on February 28.

The UPN said the party would be registered early enough for the party and its contestants to take part in all the coming elections.”